Agent of the Phoenix
by X-Shadow.of.Darkness-X
Summary: REVISED EDITION OF 'THE ORDER'S SECRET! After his encounter with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is inducted into the Order of the Phoenix as a secret member answering only to Dumbledore, tasked with the discovery and destruction of Voldemort'
1. Welcome to the Order

**Agent of the Phoenix**

 **Summary:** **REVISED EDITION OF 'THE ORDER'S SECRET'! After his encounter with Tom Riddle in the Chamber of Secrets, Harry is inducted into the Order of the Phoenix as a secret member answering only to Dumbledore, tasked with the discovery and destruction of Voldemort's Horcruxes. Informed/Powerful!Harry, Mentor!Dumbledore. Pairings: HP/NT**

 **A/N:** **After nine months, my revision of The Order's Secret is finally here! To new readers of this story, welcome! To the old crowd, welcome back!**

 **After a lot of consideration, I have decided to start the republication. The story remains mostly untouched, though I have gone through and corrected any spelling and grammar mistakes, added more detail where appropriate, and closed as many plot-holes as I could find, using the reviews on the previous story as a guide to making this version better than the original. As you no doubt noticed, the title has also been changed as well.**

 **I don't have any new content at the moment, having just edited the chapters that have already been published, though I am going to stick to a rigid schedule of publishing one chapter per week. I have enough chapters for this schedule to last six months, by which point I will be well ahead with new content.**

 **I've learnt from my previous mistake, and I now have three separate backups of ALL my FF work and hard drives, so short of the apocalypse, there will be no excuse for lack of updates!**

 **And now, please, enjoy!**

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry was seated opposite Professor Dumbledore, waiting for the wizard to begin speaking. The headmaster had just dismissed Ron to take Professor Lockhart to the hospital wing and was now unwrapping a sherbet lemon, seemingly content to sit in silence for a moment. Popping the sweet into his mouth, he finally turned his attention to Harry.

"I sense something is troubling you, Harry."

Harry nodded.

"When I was down in the Chamber, I couldn't help but notice certain . . . similarities between Riddle and me."

Dumbledore said nothing, so Harry continued.

"And during my Sorting, the Hat said I would have done well in Slytherin."

"So why did it put you in Gryffindor?"

Harry gazed at the Hat, sitting quite still on the edge of the Headmaster's desk. Unbidden, the memory of his Sorting floated into his mind. He remembered pleading with the Hat, _not Slytherin! Not Slytherin!_ He remembered the Hat's insistence that Slytherin would suit him, finally relenting, Sorting him into Gryffindor.

"Because I asked it to."

"Exactly, Harry, exactly. It is our choices that truly define us, far more so than our abilities."

Harry paused for a moment before speaking again.

"At the end of last year, I asked you why Voldemort wanted to kill me."

Dumbledore smiled.

"I remember. No doubt you still want to know." Harry nodded eagerly. "Well, I daresay no-one will say you haven't earned the right to know." Harry's heart leapt. "But first, I must examine this." Dumbledore tapped the ink-soaked diary on the desk in front of him. "I promise you that I will tell you everything, but there is a lot to tell. Come back on Saturday; I promise you that I will explain everything then."

Harry nodded.

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore smiled, his eyes twinkling as he looked at Harry.

"You're most welcome, my dear boy. Now, I believe there is an excellent feast that awaits downstairs."

-x-x-x-x-x-

It was the strangest feast Harry had ever been to. Everyone, staff and students alike, were in their pyjamas. The evening flew by in a blur, even though the feast lasted well into the early hours of the next morning. All the students who had been petrified walked into the hall to a storm of cheers and applause. Around 3am, Hagrid burst through the large oak doors to a standing ovation. Everyone was in high spirits, and laughter, the sound that had been so sparse over the past few months, washed across the hall in waves. Only the Slytherins didn't seem happy that the threat of the Basilisk was finally gone. Harry could see Malfoy glowering at his plate, ignoring the proceedings around him.

Meanwhile, away from the celebrations in the Great Hall, Dumbledore was sitting alone in his office, waving his wand over the remains of the diary. Even though the presence of Tom Riddle was gone, the headmaster could still feel the sickly aura of Dark magic radiating slightly from the diary. Casting a few more spells, his frown soon transformed into a look of horror.

 _A Horcrux._

He knew that Tom Riddle had made Horcruxes, he had realised that the night he lost his body. He didn't yet know how many Tom had made, but he was certain it was more than one. Casting several more spells, he contained the diary within a protective magical bubble, and placed it behind a portrait. Horcruxes were the darkest of the Dark Arts; even if it was destroyed, he wasn't going to take the chance that other enchantments had been placed on the tiny book.

Picking up the sword of Godric Gryffindor, he conjured a glass case, placing the sword inside before attaching the whole thing to the wall. Being goblin-made, Dumbledore was sure that the sword had been imbued with Basilisk venom when Harry had killed the great serpent. If Tom had indeed made multiple Horcruxes, the sword may well be his best chance of destroying them. There were other methods, of course, but none that Dumbledore was willing to attempt, either due to the danger that came with such methods, or the magic required being almost as repugnant as the magic he was seeking to undo.

Walking over to his Pensieve, he opened the case which housed the many vials of memories, all labeled with small, neat handwriting. Humming slightly, he slid the vials around, looking for the one that had started this chain of events, thirteen years previously. The one that housed possibly the most important memory in the case...

-x-x-x-x-x-

The rest of the week passed quickly for Harry. Due to Lockhart's inability to remember his own name, he had left the castle to jeers from the Slytherins, sobs from the girls, and cheers from everyone else, including many of the Professors. Defence Against the Dark Arts lessons were now being shared between Professors McGonagall, Flitwick and Snape. The morning after the celebratory feast, Professor McGonagall had announced to the school that as a treat, all end-of-year exams had been cancelled, to a chorus of cheers. Needless to say, Hermione was not pleased about that development.

Before he knew it, Harry was once again stood before the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office.

"Sherbet lemon." Harry said, bouncing on the balls of his feet impatiently. The gargoyle sprang aside, revealing the spiral staircase, and Harry ran up the staircase two steps at a time before reaching Dumbledore's office door. He knocked, and no sooner had he heard Dumbledore call, "Enter." than he was throwing the door open.

"Ah, Harry. Please, take a seat."

Dumbledore was seated behind his desk. Beside him was a large stone basin, filled to the brim with some kind of silvery liquid. On the desk, Tom Riddle's diary, the sword of Godric Gryffindor, and a small vial, which seemed to contain some kind of silvery essence, neither liquid, solid, nor gas. The headmaster looked, to Harry, very much like a Muggle magician sitting behind his table of props. Harry slid into the seat in front of the desk and looked expectantly at Dumbledore.

"I had not planned on telling you this for a few years," Dumbledore began. "as the tale is long and complicated. If you have any questions, feel free to interrupt my waffle and ask away."

Harry nodded an affirmative, stomach twisting in a mixture of both apprehension and excitement.

"Where to begin? I suppose what started this rather chaotic chain of events lies within this vial." Dumbledore said, picking the vial up off of his desk, tilting it slightly, allowing the contents to swirl around the small glass container. "Are you familiar with a Pensieve, Harry?"

"No, sir."

"I am not surprised. They are very expensive, and very difficult to make." Dumbledore said. "It is not an artefact many would be familiar with. We do not teach about them at Hogwarts, because they are so rare that students are unlikely to ever encounter one."

Harry frowned.

"That still doesn't explain what it does, sir."

"Ah, you're quite right. As you get older, the mind does tend to wander." Dumbledore smiled. "A Pensieve allows you to view memories, such as this one here." He shook the vial slightly. "This particular memory is of a job interview I conducted, thirteen years ago, when I was interviewing a candidate for the Divination post here. I must admit, in the interest of full disclosure, that I was rather reluctant to hire a Divination teacher, as the subject is not particularly useful unless you are a Seer."

"So why did you agree to the interview?" Harry asked.

"Sybill Trelawney is the great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer, Cassandra Trelawney. I had hoped that she possessed the same gift." Dumbledore sighed. "Throughout the interview, I'm sorry to say, Sybill did not show any signs of possessing the gift of Sight. But, at the very end of the interview, she fell into a trance-like state, and delivered a prophecy." Here, Dumbledore shook the vial again. "This is the memory of that prophecy."

"What was the prophecy about?" Harry asked, eying the vial, though he was sure he could already guess.

"The prophecy foretold the coming of one who could defeat Voldemort." Dumbledore said simply. "I will continue once you have heard the prophecy."

As Harry watched, Dumbledore carefully removed the lid of the vial before pouring the contents into the Pensieve. The liquid shone silvery white before a ghostly figure rose from the basin and spoke in a raspy voice.

 _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches . . ._

 _born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies . . ._

 _and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not . . ._

 _and either will only die at the hand of the other, for neither can live while the other survives . . ._

 _The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies . . ._

Harry sat in silence as the figure dissipated back into the Pensieve. Dumbledore dipped his wand into the stone basin, pulled the memory back out and replacing it into the vial before setting it back down on his desk.

"One of Voldemort's followers, one of his Death Eaters, overheard the first part of the prophecy." Dumbledore said, gazing at Harry over his half-moon spectacles. "He told Voldemort, who interpreted it as meaning that you would one day "vanquish" him."

Harry sat in stunned silence. Thoughts were swirling around his mind, questions chasing each other in circles, so fast that he couldn't decide which to ask first.

"I'm the only one who can defeat Voldemort?" he asked quietly, finally able to give voice to his thoughts.

"Yes." Dumbledore sighed. "In interpreting it the way he did, Voldemort sealed your fate, before you were even born." Harry was silent. "It is not an easy thing to hear, especially at such a young age." Dumbledore said, looking at Harry in deep concern. "I am truly sorry."

Harry opened and closed his mouth a few times, his mouth and throat suddenly very dry. Dumbledore seemed to have noticed this, as he waved his wand, and a jug of water and a goblet appeared next to Harry on the desk. Harry reached out gratefully, filling the goblet and raising it to his lips, taking a small sip.

"Could the prophecy have referred to anyone else?" he asked, once he had replaced the goblet on the desk.

Dumbledore nodded.

"It could also apply to Neville Longbottom."

Harry stared at the vial. His thoughts now drifted to Neville, Neville, the shy, nervous, timid boy he shared a dormitory with. What if Voldemort had decided Neville was the person referred to in the prophecy? How different would their lives have been? Harry would have grown up with his family, safe and secure, while Neville would be sat there, talking about this with the headmaster.

But would he? Would Neville's mother die for him, as Lily had for Harry? Harry liked to think she would have, but he had never met Neville's mother. All he knew about Neville's home life was that he lived with his grandmother. As much as it pained him to admit it, Harry was glad Voldemort had decided the prophecy referred to him, and not Neville. He wouldn't wish his situation on anyone.

"Who was the . . . Death Eater . . . that told Voldemort?"

Dumbledore's eyes held a sadness as he uttered the name.

"Professor Snape."

"WHAT?!" Harry shouted, startling Fawkes, who gave a shrill cry of annoyance.

"Calm yourself, Harry." Dumbledore said. "Severus was a double agent, working with Voldemort and the Death Eaters under my orders, gathering information for our side in the war. Professor Snape was very fond of your mother, and had no idea that Voldemort would target your family. As soon as he found out, he begged me to protect you and your family. Alas, I was too late."

Harry took several deep breaths before speaking again, trying to calm himself and gather his thoughts.

"So why does Snape hate me so much?"

" _Professor_ Snape, Harry," Dumbledore corrected. "In answer to your question, your father wasn't particularly, ah, pleasant to him while at school here. But we're getting off track, and that is a story for another time. As you know, Voldemort travelled to Godric's Hollow, killed your parents, and tried to kill you. I told you last year that the reason the curse backfired was because your mother died to protect you. I had my suspicions as to the reason why the curse didn't then kill Voldemort, but I am fairly confident that I now know the reason."

He held up the diary.

"His diary?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"This diary is a Horcrux created by Voldemort."

"What's a Horcrux?"

"A Horcrux is the most evil and twisted magic ever created. A person splits their soul and contains a part of it inside an object."

"You split your _soul_?" Harry said, aghast at the idea.

"Yes. By committing the ultimate act of evil. By committing murder."

Harry stared at Dumbledore, wondering why on earth someone would willingly do that to themselves, destroy the very essence of who they were.

"The reason Voldemort did not die that night was because part of his soul was contained elsewhere." Dumbledore said. "However, when he failed to kill you, part of his soul detached from him and attached itself to the only other living thing in the house, namely, you."

"So a piece of Voldemort's soul is inside me?" he asked, feeling slightly sick. "Could he possess me through it, like he did to Ginny?"

"Most likely, but I am very certain that he is unaware of it." Dumbledore said, in an effort to calm Harry down.

"How can you be sure?" Harry asked.

"Because if he knew, I am certain that he would have already done so."

"So Voldemort can't be killed?" Harry asked dejectedly.

"Oh no, he can be killed," Dumbledore said, and Harry looked up. "but in order to do so, all of his Horcruxes must be destroyed."

"How do you destroy a Horcrux?" Harry asked, hoping Dumbledore had an answer.

"Ah, but you have already destroyed one." Dumbledore said, tapping the diary. "You must damage it in such a way that it cannot repair itself, such as with Basilisk venom. This sword," He said, picking up the long sword. "was created by goblins. Goblin-made metal never breaks, and assimilates anything that makes it stronger. When you slew the Basilisk in the Chamber, the sword drew on the power of the Basilisk venom. This sword can be used to destroy Horcruxes."

A thought had just occurred to Harry, one that made bile rise in his throat, and his heart start to race.

"If a piece of Voldemort's soul is inside me," Harry said, his stomach feeling like it would drop out of his body, "then, am I a Horcrux as well?"

This time, Dumbledore's eyes grew wet with tears, and immediately, Harry knew the answer.

"I am so sorry, Harry, truly. I cannot begin to tell you how sorry. Fate has dealt you a cruel hand."

"So, for Voldemort to be killed," Harry said, feeling tears start to sting his own eyes. "I have to die as well?"

"...Yes." Dumbledore raised a hand to his eyes, wiping the tears away. "So long as you live, so too will Voldemort. But, as he is bound to you, so are you bound to him. You yourself cannot die while Voldemort lives, and if I understand the prophecy correctly, only the two of you can kill the other."

"But if I'm dead, who then can kill Voldemort, if what the prophecy states is true?" Harry asked. The conversation had taken a very sudden, morbid turn.

"Should Voldemort kill you, the piece of his soul inside you will be destroyed." Dumbledore said. "Your soul will then be your own, untarnished, whole and pure. Only then, will you be able to kill Voldemort. I know this will pain you deeply, but you must be the last Horcrux to be destroyed. This curse will be your greatest asset in the future. You cannot die, except by Voldemort's hand. A great asset, but not one that should be abused through carelessness. You are the only hope for the wizarding world. Remember that." Dumbledore sighed deeply. "Again, I am sorry to burden you with this, Harry. I will more than understand if you wish to leave."

Harry could only sit in silence. Death was an inevitability, he knew that, but it was another thing to be told that he _had_ to die, and not at a time of his choosing. Part of him wanted to leave, to lock himself away and never be seen again, but the larger part of himself knew that was not an option. His actions didn't just hold consequences for himself, now. It was surreal. Five minutes ago, he had not a care in the world. Now, the entire fate of the wizarding world rested on his shoulders.

"You said that a Horcrux can be any object."

"I did." Dumbledore said, looking slightly surprised that Harry had decided to stay.

"Then it could be anything!" Harry said, his earlier energy gone, replaced by a cold sense of both determination and helplessness. "Old soup tins, a piece of paper, anything!"

Dumbledore smiled sadly.

"You are quite right, but I doubt that Voldemort would make a Horcrux out of an old soup tin. I met him when he was eleven years old, just before he came to Hogwarts. I distinctly remember him having a box full of stolen possessions. This has led me to believe that few, if any, of Voldemort's Horcruxes would be objects that actually belong to him. I am still collecting memories of Voldemort; when I find one that contains useful details, then I will be sure."

"So, if he can't be killed, he'll find a way of coming back?" Harry asked apprehensively.

"I am certain of it." Dumbledore said gravely.

Harry was silent for a moment. To Dumbledore, it seemed that Harry was having an internal conflict with himself. Finally, Harry spoke.

"Every time I've met Voldemort, I've had help in surviving; my mum, you, Fawkes. If he is going to come back, then the next time we meet, I want to be ready. We need to find those other Horcruxes, for the good of everyone in the wizarding world. If it will stop Voldemort, I will happily die to do so."

Dumbledore looked at Harry, saw the burning conviction in his eyes, and pride rushed through him, pride that Harry, even at twelve, had the best interests of the wider community at heart, that he would be willing to sacrifice his own life for the good of others. _Definitely Lily's son._

"The last time Voldemort was powerful, I led an organisation called the Order of the Phoenix." Dumbledore said. "It was an organisation created with the goal of combatting Voldemort. If you will excuse my lack of humility for a moment, Voldemort would have been much more powerful if it weren't for the Order.

"The Order still exists today, though with the threat of Voldemort lessened, our activities have ceased accordingly. I am offering you the chance to join, to help in the fight against Voldemort, on the front lines, as it were. You would answer only to me, and I will train you and help you, so that the next time you meet Voldemort, you will be able to stand your ground."

Harry sat there, stunned. Of all the things he had been expecting Dumbledore to say, that was the least of them. He would need all the help he could get, and being personally trained by the headmaster was sure to give him the best chance possible. He knew how powerful Voldemort was, both from stories he had heard, as well as his own personal experience with a mere shadow of the Dark Lord himself.

"I accept your offer." Harry said. Dumbledore beamed at him, though sadness still lingered in his expression. "But on one condition."

"Which is?"

"I don't want to be kept in the dark," Harry said. "I want to know everything there is to know about Voldemort, his Horcruxes and anything else of importance."

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he extended his hand.

"We have an accord."

Harry grasped his hand. Dumbledore smiled down at the young boy in front of him, full of pride and grief.

"Welcome to the Order, Harry. Your primary mission is to find and destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. I may need you to take on other missions from time to time, but the Horcruxes are your top priority."

"Harry nodded.

"I understand, sir."

"In the interest of maintaining discretion," Dumbledore said, his tone becoming more serious, if such a thing were possible at this stage of the conversation, "it would be best if you refrained from telling anyone of your position."

"Of course, sir."

"Good." Dumbledore smiled slightly at Harry. "Now, as you only have a week of term left, I'm sure you don't want to waste it listening to an old man wheeze on and on. Go, enjoy the remainder of term, and try not to dwell on that which you can't change. I'll be in contact soon."


	2. The Mechanics of Magic

Ron and Hermione sat in stunned silence. Harry had just finished telling them what had transpired in Dumbledore's office, omitting the part about the Horcruxes and his induction into the Order, of course. Also omitted was the fact that, at some point, he would have to die in order to defeat Voldemort. Dumbledore had asked him not to tell anyone about joining the Order, and he didn't want to worry Ron and Hermione with the revelation that there was a piece of Voldemort stuck inside him. Finally, Hermione spoke up.

"So, only you can kill You-Know-Who?"

Harry nodded.

"Pretty much."

Ron whistled lowly.

"Damn. No pressure then."

Harry chuckled, but there was no humour in it. His inevitable fate was weighing heavily on his mind, and he was having difficulty maintaining his concentration on the conversation at hand.

"What are you going to do?" Hermione asked, a slight tone of fear edging into her voice.

Harry paused for a moment, wondering how much was safe to tell.

"Dumbledore said he'll help me fight Voldemort. He's trying to find out as much about him as he can. If he can find a weakness, maybe we'll have a chance of defeating him." Inside, he could feel his stomach knotting unpleasantly. He hated having to lie to people, especially Ron and Hermione, the two people he trusted the most in the world.

"When You-Know-Who was powerful the first time, no-one even came close to touching him," Ron said. "What's Dumbledore expecting to find?"

Once again, a pang of guilt shot through Harry. They had questions, which was understandable, and he had the answers, but he couldn't reveal them. At least, not yet.

I don't know, but there has to be something," Harry said. "No-one's infallible, not even Voldemort." He looked between his two best friends, who were both sitting with a mixture of shock, fear and anxiety on their faces. Not feeling up to discussing the matter any further, he stood up. "I'm pretty tired, I'm going to bed." Ron and Hermione bade him goodnight as he started toward the stairs to his dormitory. As soon as he entered the dormitory and laid down, he felt a wave of exhaustion wash over him. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to fall asleep, still fully clothed, dreams full of green lights, diaries and Voldemort.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Back in his office, Dumbledore was pacing in front of one of his many bookshelves. Harry, although an exceptional wizard for his age, would need a lot of training before he could meet Voldemort head on. Running his hand over the thick tomes, he hummed the school song as he searched for books that Harry might find useful.

"Ah, here we go."

He pulled a large book from the shelf and set it on his desk. The book was very old, as Dumbledore had acquired it nigh on fifty years ago, and it had been rather ancient then, too. The print, however, was still in excellent condition, thanks in no small part to the Preservation Charm he had placed on all of his bookshelves. Pulling a small piece of parchment toward him, he dipped his quill in the inkwell on the desk and began writing a short note. Once he had finished, he sealed the note in an envelope before summoning one of the many house-elves that worked at the school.

"Master called?" the house elf squeaked.

Dumbledore smiled down at the elf.

"I did indeed. I need these - " he gestured at the note and the book, " - placed in Harry Potter's trunk before it is taken down to the Hogwarts Express."

"Twinky shall see to it personally, sir!" the house elf squeaked excitedly, bowing low to the ground. Twinky grabbed the book and letter before disappearing with a loud _crack!_

-x-x-x-x-x-

The last week of term was eventful, even by Hogwarts' standards. Lucius Malfoy had been sacked as a school Governor after his involvement with the opening of the Chamber came to light. This certainly seemed to have an effect on Draco, who was no longer strutting about the castle as if he owned the place. Instead, he became rather more reserved and sulky, a consistently dour expression on his face every time they encountered him in the corridors. Harry and Ron's two hundred points apiece easily secured the House Cup for Gryffindor for the second year in a row. This made Malfoy, if it was possible, even worse.

Before they knew it, their trunks were packed, the traditional letters regarding use of magic at home were given out, half of Gryffindor House had taken part in the what was sure to soon become annual Gryffindor House hunt for Trevor, and they were making their way down to Hogsmeade Station. They dragged their heavy trunks into a compartment, using magic to stow them in the overhead compartments, and settled down for the trip.

The trip back to King's Cross was rather uneventful, a welcome contrast to the year they'd had. Harry, Ron and Hermione were joined in their compartment by Neville, Fred, George, and Ginny. They spent the trip playing chess, eating the piles of sweets they purchased from the trolley, and made use of the last few hours they were still allowed to use magic to practise Disarming each other. Harry was getting rather good at it.

All too soon, the train was pulling into Platform 9¾. Harry pulled his trunk off the train, loading it onto a wheeled trolley and, together with Ron and Hermione, crossed the barrier back into the Muggle world.

The first thing Harry noticed was the Dursleys, standing well away from everyone else on the platform and looking for all the world as though they'd much rather be anywhere else in the world. Harry snorted slightly as he watched Uncle Vernon glaring at Mr and Mrs Weasley.

"I'll write to you this summer," Ron said. "Both of you. I'll ask Mum and Dad if you can stay over for a few days."

"That'd be great," Hermione said cheerily, waving as she spotted her parents in the crowd. She hugged Harry and Ron goodbye before carefully pushing her trolley over to her parents.

"Yeah," said Harry. "I'll need something to look forward to this summer."

He and Ron half-hugged before Harry pushed his trolley over to the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon grunted a greeting before turning on his heel and marching out of the station, followed closely by Dudley and Aunt Petunia, leaving Harry to bring up the rear alone. When they reached the Dursley's car, Uncle Vernon heaved Harry's trunk into the boot while Harry stowed away the trolley. Harry thought this was unusually kind, until they pulled away from the station.

"That trunk is being locked under the stairs when we get home." Uncle Vernon said to Harry.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"W-why?" Uncle Vernon spluttered. "What could you possibly need out of it?"

"My school stuff," Harry replied calmly. "I have homework to do."

Uncle Vernon made a "pfft" noise, sounding uncannily like a horse.

"If you think I'm letting you have your "homework" readily available, you've got another thing coming, boy." Vernon said, turning sharply into a side road. "You say homework, but how do I know we won't wake up tomorrow turned into toads?"

Harry was sorely tempted to say that Uncle Vernon being turned into a toad wouldn't be that much of an improvement, but he held his tongue. Provoking his uncle was not the way to avoid isolation from his possessions.

"You know after last summer that I can't use magic outside school," Harry said evenly, and Uncle Vernon growled slightly, the memory of the dinner party with the Masons obviously still fresh in his mind. "If I use magic again, I'll be expelled."

Uncle Vernon ground his teeth, obviously trying to decide whether the threat of being Transfigured was worth not having Harry at Privet Drive permanently.

"Fine," he said finally, as though it caused him a great deal of pain to say. "you can keep your trunk and that ruddy bird."

Harry sat back, smiling slightly, perfectly content to let the rest of the journey pass in forced silence.

After what felt like hours, Uncle Vernon finally pulled into Number Four's driveway. This time, he didn't get Harry's trunk out of the car, instead leaving Harry to drag it and Hedwig's cage into the house and up the stairs.

 _I guess I should have seen that coming,_ Harry thought, as he closed the door to his bedroom. He set Hedwig's cage down on his desk, unbolting the cage door as he did so, allowing her the freedom to come and go as she pleased. He pushed his trunk over to the far wall and undid the clasps, pushing the lid up.

The first thing he noticed after retrieving his clothes and robes was a rather ancient-looking book lying on top of his school books, with an envelope sticking out from under the front cover. He pulled the book out of his trunk and placed it next to Hedwig's cage, sliding the envelope out once the book was safely on his desk. Slitting the envelope open, he pulled out a piece of parchment, covered in tall, slanting handwriting, which he immediately recognised as belonging to Professor Dumbledore.

 _Harry,_

 _This book is from my office at Hogwarts, and details how magic works and how it can be manipulated. If you truly want to be able to stand your ground against Voldemort when the time comes, you will need all the knowledge you can get. "Knowledge is Power", as the Muggles say._

 _I will be coming to Number Four, Privet Drive on 1st August, to take you to Hogwarts to begin your tuition in advanced magic. Please read as much of this book as you can before that date. I do not expect you to have read it all, as it is very heavy material, so do not overly worry yourself if you do not finish it._

 _Yours most sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

Harry placed the letter down on his desk, a feeling of elation coursing through him. Only two weeks with the Dursleys! He turned his attention to the book.

It was very old, at least half a century old. Despite that, it was in excellent condition. Looking at the cover, Harry read the title of the book.

 _THE MECHANICS OF MAGIC_

His curiosity piqued, Harry turned to the first chapter. He was just about to start reading, when...

"BOY!"

Harry sighed, closing the book and regretfully placing it on his desk, next to Hedwig's cage.

"Coming!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Later that night, Harry was sitting in bed, reading through _The Mechanics of Magic_.

 _ **Magic is a phenomenon that none have been able to truly understand. Over the centuries, many witches and wizards have been able to piece together information pertaining to the true nature of magic, yet it is still a woefully under-researched subject.**_

 _ **The overarching theory at the time of writing is that the laws of magic are governed by a set of three basic principles; knowledge, power (or energy), and imagination.**_

 _ **Knowledge is perhaps the most easily understood principle; the more a person knows of magic, the greater their control of it. Magical experiments are constantly taking place all over the world, and as new discoveries are made, wizardkind's knowledge of magic grows with it.**_

 _ **The amount of energy available varies from organism to organism, though only wizards and some magical plants have enough to be able to use magic. Some Muggles have a larger supply of energy than normal, as evidenced through the emergence of Muggle-born witches and wizards. Attempts to trace the first Muggle-born wizard have so far ended in failure.**_

 _ **In wizards, the energy store is limitless in it's capacity, though the amount available is limited. The limit is set by numerous factors, such as gender and age. This energy store grows with the wizard, but can stop increasing at any time. In rare cases, the store stops growing while the witch or wizard is still an infant. This means that said witch or wizard are unable to use magic. Generally, however, the store stops increasing between the ages of 20 and 25.**_

 _ **The amount of magical energy stored can be increased, even after the available energy has stop increasing of it's own accord. Details of the process are long and complicated, and require a firm base is magical knowledge and theory, but are outlined in Chapter Six. Due to it's complicated nature, much of the population choose not to increase their energy store.**_

 _ **When the store of magical energy is depleted, a wizard can still perform magic, but the spell draws it's power from the caster's body, feeding off their physical energy. This is known as magical exhaustion. 6-12 hours of rest is usually sufficient to "recharge" the magical energy store.**_

 _ **There are other ways of increasing a wizard's energy supply, but all are equally as complicated as each other. The most common method was by consuming magic-enhancing potions, though these were outlawed in 1857 by the British Ministry of Magic. Following this, the Ministries of many other countries also outlawed the use of the potion, leading to a black market in potion dealing in some poorer countries.**_

 _ **Imagination refers to the application of Intention Theory to augment a witch or wizard's spellwork. According to this principle, a wizard's ultimate power is limited only by the bounds of his creativity. For a full description of Intention Theory, see Chapter Nine.**_

Harry stopped reading. _Is that why Dumbledore is so powerful?_ He wondered. _Because he's spent years increasing his energy store?_

Looking over at his clock, he was startled to see that it was nearing midnight. Closing the book, he noted down his page number on a scrap of paper before getting changed into his pyjamas. He placed his glasses on his bedside desk and clicked his lamp off. Moments later, he was sound asleep.


	3. The Prisoner of Azkaban

Many miles away, in the middle of the North Sea, a man sat with his back against his cell wall. Sirius Black was staring at the picture in the Daily Prophet, lit by the dim light seeping in through the bars of his cell door.

The cell itself was less than spartan. Thick, grey stone comprised three walls, while the cage door was made of strong and sturdy steel. All four walls, as well as the floor and ceiling had been heavily warded against magical breaches. Not that it was required. No one ever tried to escape, not when they were trapped within their own minds.

The picture showed a family, all with flaming red hair, stood in front of a pyramid. They had apparently won some prize draw organised by the newspaper. But Sirius wasn't interested in the story, or the family, or the fact that they had won one thousand Galleons.

He was interested in the rat.

The rat was sitting on a boy's shoulder, clambering up and down his arm. Sirius stared at the rat, the rat that he would recognise anywhere.

 _Pettigrew._

Peter Pettigrew, one of his friends from school, the man who had betrayed James and Lily to Voldemort, the man who could transform into a rat. His eyes scanned the accompanying story again, and the last part of the article leapt out at him.

 _. . . will return to Hogwarts this September._

"He's at Hogwarts." Sirius breathed, his voice raspy from prolonged disuse. "He's at Hogwarts."

He pushed the paper to one side and slid back against the wall, unmoving, conserving his energy, waiting for the opportune moment.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Finally, an opportunity presented itself. Sirius waited for the Dementors to open his cell door to place food in before gathering his energy and transforming into a great shaggy dog. As quickly as he could, he raced forward and slipped through the crack between the door and the wall, sliding past the Dementors, who did not seem to notice his presence. Quickly and quietly, he made his way through the winding corridors, pressing himself up against the wall, allowing the shadows to hide him. Reaching the stairs, he bounded down them, desperate to leave the prison before the Dementors noticed he had gone.

Eventually, he reached the courtyard. Looking up, he could see Dementors circling overhead. He could hear the sea crashing against the small island, feel the rush of the sea breeze through his fur. Hugging the wall, he slowly worked his way around the courtyard to the main gate. He noticed the bars were quite far apart from each other. Obviously no-one had thought that anyone would make it past the Dementors, not that there was anywhere to go if they could. Sirius slipped his thin and malnourished body through the bars, stepping down onto the craggy rock on which Azkaban stood. Confidant that the Dementors were now too far away to sense his presence, he carefully lowered himself down the edge of the island.

Dipping his paw into the sea, he gave a small yelp of surprise. He had expected the sea to be cold, but the water was nearly freezing. But he had barely managed to summon the energy to transform; Apparating was not an option.

 _He's at Hogwarts._

The thought echoed around his mind, strengthening his resolve. Deciding that the water wasn't going to be getting any warmer, he sat back before using his hind legs to spring into the sea.

The cold hit him like a freight train. Every nerve in his body screamed in protest, his muscles seizing. He pushed himself up, allowing his head to break the surface, taking long, deep breaths. Looking back at the cold, black prison sitting high above him, he felt a surge of adrenaline rush through him. Turning his attention back to the open expanse of sea in front of him, he drew in another breath and started paddling.

 _He's at Hogwarts._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Albus Dumbledore strode through the suburbs of Little Whinging toward Privet Drive, humming randomly as he went. The sky over Little Whinging on the morning of August 1st was a dull, muggy grey, not unusual for a British summer. Rounding a corner into Privet Drive, Dumbledore took a moment to take in the scene.

All the houses were near enough identical; the only thing distinguishing them from each other was the cars outside and the gardens, all of which had been kept in pristine condition, as though the residents were afraid to be seen as lazy by their nosy neighbours. Neatly cut lawns and rows upon rows of obsessively cultivated flowers lay outside each property. Dumbledore walked along the street to Number Four, noticing with a slight chuckle that the garden was in almost the exact same condition as it had been almost twelve years ago. Reaching the front door, he raised his hand and knocked.

A bony-faced woman answered the door moments later, wearing an apron that looked as though food had never been spilled down it. Her eyes widened slightly and her face paled as she took in Dumbledore's robes, today a deep plum colour.

"Good morning," said Dumbledore cheerfully, offering his hand to shake. "You must be Petunia."

Petunia jerked her head slightly, but didn't shake Dumbledore's hand. Dumbledore left it there a moment longer, before coughing slightly and lowering his hand.

"I have come to collect Harry. May I come in?"

Petunia nodded quickly and stepped aside, allowing Dumbledore to step past her into the house, terrified of what the neighbours would think if they saw this man on her doorstep. Walking over to the stairs, she bent her neck and called, "Harry!"

The simple use of Harry's name was enough to get his attention, after twelve years of being addressed as "Boy!" or "Oi, you!". Obviously, Dumbledore had arrived. Nothing else would make his aunt address him by name. Carefully replacing _The Mechanics of Magic_ back into his trunk on top of his now clean clothes and robes, he dashed out of his room and down the stairs. He reached the hallway just in time to hear Dumbledore say, "Your begonias are coming along splendidly."

Harry snorted, causing Aunt Petunia and Dumbledore to turn around.

"Ah, Harry! Excellent!" Dumbledore said, beaming, though there as a touch of something in his eyes that Harry couldn't quite place. Concern, possibly? "Ready to go?"

"Nearly," Harry grinned, looking between Dumbledore and Aunt Petunia. "I just have to finish packing my trunk."

Dumbledore smiled.

"Take your time, my boy. I'll be waiting in the living room."

Harry nodded and ran back up the stairs three at a time. Bursting into his room, he threw his few remaining scattered possessions back into his trunk, including his quills, parchment, birthday cards and presents, and today's Daily Prophet. Closing the lid on the trunk, he locked the clasps and bumped it down the stairs, dragging it just outside the living room. Leaving it where it was for the moment, he ran back upstairs, coaxed Hedwig into her cage with a couple of Owl Treats, locking the cage door and carrying it down to his trunk. Abandoning both pieces of luggage for the moment, he stepped carefully into the living room, unsure of what he would find.

The scene that greeted him was one of the strangest he had ever seen in the house. Aunt Petunia was sitting stiffly in her chair, hands clasping the arms as if frightened it might disappear. On the sofa was Dudley, who was sat as far from Dumbledore as was possible on the three-seater, a look of abject terror on his face. Clearly, Dudley vividly remembered his last encounter with a wizard. Dumbledore, on the other hand, looked completely at ease, unsticking a sherbet lemon and popping it into his mouth before offering one to Dudley, who squeaked, and tried to move further away on the sofa, almost toppling over the arm in the process.

Harry cleared his throat, catching the attention of all three occupants of the room.

"Uh, sir? I'm ready to go."

"Wonderful."

Dumbledore stood, withdrawing his wand from inside his robes as he did so. Dudley gave a slight yelp and ran from the room, hands covering his enormous backside, while Petunia's face paled, if possible, even more. Dumbledore, however, didn't seem perturbed by the strange behaviour of Harry's relatives. Instead, he flicked his wand at Harry's trunk and Hedwig's cage, just visible outside the door. A moment later, both vanished with a faint _pop._

"Harry shall be staying at Hogwarts for the remainder of the summer," Dumbledore said to Petunia. "but he shall return once again at the start of next summer." Petunia nodded, seemingly unwilling to speak, as if Dumbledore's very presence in her house had rendered her mute. "You needn't worry; Harry will be perfectly safe with me."

Harry barely managed to stop himself from bursting into laughter at the idea that Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia would be worried about his safety. Dumbledore placed a hand on Harry's shoulder and steered him gently out of the house, closing the door behind him with another flick of his wand. Turning back to the road, he held out his right arm.

"If you would take my arm, Harry?" Dumbledore requested.

Harry took it, not sure what to expect. He barely had time to speculate, before Privet Drive vanished, to be replaced by a rather uncomfortable sensation, like he was being forced through a very tight rubber tube. The experience was akin to travelling via the Floo Network, though far less comfortable.

Moments later, the world around him came back into being, and Harry noticed that they were just outside the Hogwarts main gates. Dumbledore raised his wand and waved it at the gates. The boars atop the gates lowered their heads and the gates swung open. Dumbledore set off up the winding path, Harry barely keeping pace with the sweeping stride of the headmaster.

"What did... How... What..." Harry tried, trying to find the words to ask what had happened.

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled slightly.

"That was Apparition. It's a way of getting from one place to another almost instantaneously."

Harry nodded, rubbing his arm subconsciously.

"I think I prefer flying."

Dumbledore chuckled lightly as the reached the front doors. Again, Dumbledore waved his wand and the doors swung open, allowing them entry to the castle. Dumbledore led Harry through the corridors to his office. Harry looked around as the walked. It was eerie walking through the school when no-one else was there.

Finally they reached the stone gargoyle that guarded the entrance to Dumbledore's office. Dumbledore spoke the password, "Ice Mice.", and they ascended the spiral staircase. Pushing the door open, Dumbledore and Harry stepped over the threshold.

The office looked almost the same as it had a couple of weeks previously. The only difference was that the Pensieve was now stowed away in a small alcove and the desk was devoid of memories and Horcruxes.

"Please take a seat, Harry." Dumbledore said, gesturing to a comfy-looking seat opposite his desk. Harry slid himself into the seat and waited for Dumbledore to seat himself.

"I trust you had a good birthday?"

Harry snorted slightly, in spite of himself. "As good as I could expect from the Dursleys." The Dursleys had, as was tradition, completely ignored Harry's birthday. However, he had received cards and gifts from all his friends at Hogwarts, which he felt more than made up for it.

Dumbledore frowned slightly.

"Hmm. I think another letter may be in order." He fixed Harry with his piercing blue gaze. "I assume you will have heard by now about the escape of Sirius Black?"

Harry nodded. Not long after term had finished, the Daily Prophet had run a rather extensive story on Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban, the only person known to have done so.

"Yeah, it was on the Muggle news as well."

"That was a bold move by Cornelius," Dumbledore said, a hint of admiration in his tone. "He received a lot of political backlash after deciding to inform the Muggle Prime Minister. Many are worried about our world being exposed, as is their right, of course."

"You think he was right to, sir?" Harry questioned.

Dumbledore inclined his head. "I do. Sirius Black was imprisoned for the murder of twelve Muggles and a wizard, as you no doubt know. He is a danger to the Muggle community, as well as the wizard community. Cornelius was quite right to inform the Prime Minister of the incident."

"How did Black escape? The Prophet didn't say." Harry said, hoping the headmaster knew something the Prophet didn't.

Dumbledore sighed, and immediately, Harry knew he was to be disappointed.

"Alas, you ask a question I cannot answer. No, I don't know how he did it. I have theories, certainly, but none hold up under close scrutiny. There's no precedent for it either; no-one's ever escaped before. For now, we can only speculate." Dumbledore's brow creased slightly. "But the matter at hand is not _how_ he escaped, but _why_ he escaped."

He observed Harry for a moment, as if deciding on a course of action. Finally, he spoke. "The Minister wouldn't want me telling you this, Harry, but we have a deal; I won't keep you out of the loop." Harry said nothing, but the look in his eyes spoke volumes. Trepidation, fear, excitement, inquisitiveness. The follies of youth. "The overarching theory is that he escaped to come after you."

Harry's stomach clenched, and he felt as if the air had suddenly been forcibly pushed out of his lungs. He knew Voldemort was the real threat to him, and Black was nowhere near as powerful as Voldemort, or he would have heard of him sooner. But wherever Voldemort was, he was crippled, a shadow of his former self, though undoubtedly still immensely powerful. Black, on the other hand, was very much alive, and a much more tangible threat to Harry in that moment. Harry swallowed the lump in his throat, and, trying his best not to sound too afraid, asked, "Why would he want to come after me?"

Dumbledore gazed at Harry, the ever-present twinkle in his eyes replaced by a slight sadness.

"It is a long tale, but we have time. I shall do my best to explain.

"Twelve years ago, your parents realised that Voldemort was looking for them. He had been informed of the prophecy, and was hunting down anyone to whom the prophecy referred with the intent to kill them before they could become a true threat. I suggested that your parents go into hiding under the protection of the Fidelius Charm. The Fidelius Charm," he said, as Harry opened his mouth, "is a charm that allows for a secret to be held by a single person. That person is known as the Secret Keeper, and only he or she may divulge it's contents.

"While at Hogwarts, your father and Sirius Black were the best of friends, never seen without the other. Both were gifted with magic, intelligent and eager to learn. They also had a certain propensity for trouble, not unlike the Weasley twins, or even yourself." Harry had the decency to look abashed, and Dumbledore smiled slightly. "When your parents married, Sirius Black was the best man, and it was him they decided to make their Secret Keeper." Dumbledore's expression turned sombre once again. "Alas, it was a costly mistake.

Sirius Black went to Voldemort and told him where your parents were. Of that, I am sure, for no-one else could have told them, not with the Fidelius Charm in place. I never once suspected him; he was your parents' best friend and a loyal member of the Order of the Phoenix, along with your parents. As you know, Voldemort went to Godric's Hollow, killed your parents and attempted to kill you. Of course, that did not happen. With Voldemort gone, Black lost everything. Hagrid even saw him when he collected you from the house. Black apparently asked Hagrid to give you to him, and I am grateful that Hagrid followed my orders, as I doubt you would be sitting here now if he didn't. It is the belief of the Ministry that Black believes that killing you will help bring Voldemort back."

"How could that possibly do that?" Harry asked, his stomach now clenched painfully with the revelations Dumbledore had just revealed. His parents' best friend had betrayed them. He couldn't imagine anyone could be so callous, so cruel, to betray the trust of another, particularly another that had entrusted you with a secret that could be catastrophic should it be heard by the wrong person.

"It will not," Dumbledore said, sadness in his tone. "But with no better theory, I cannot challenge the Ministry's view.

"After meeting Hagrid, Black ran into Peter Pettigrew, another of his friends from school. Witnesses say that Pettigrew attempted to capture Black himself." Dumbledore bowed his head. "Peter was not the most gifted in the art of duelling by a long way. Black was much quicker on the draw, casting a curse that destroyed the entire street, killing twelve Muggles and obliterating Pettigrew. All that was was left of him was a finger." Harry's stomach lurched unpleasantly, and he felt bile rise up in his throat. He forced it down as Dumbledore continued. "Ministry Hit Wizards arrived moments later and Black was taken to Azkaban, where he would remain for the rest of his life. Until now."

"How can the Minister be sure that Black wants me?" Harry asked, hoping against hope that there had been a breakdown of communication somewhere along the line.

"The Azkaban guards told Fudge that Black had been muttering in his sleep a few days before the breakout. "He's at Hogwarts." Fudge is certain he means you are at Hogwarts."

Harry sat stock still, fear now settling in the pit of his stomach, as much as he was loathe to admit it.

"That is not all. There is something that makes this entire situation even more morally repugnant." Dumbledore said, watching Harry closely. Harry didn't say anything, wondering what could possibly be worse than what he had just heard.

"When you were born, your parents named Sirius Black as your godfather."

Harry's jaw fell open. Sirius Black had effectively killed his best friends, and now planned to kill the child he had been chosen to look after in the event of his parents' death? He could not believe anyone could be so . . . He couldn't think of anything to describe Black.

"As I said, the Minister would not want me telling you all this," Dumbledore said, gazing at Harry sadly. "but I feel it would be better you heard it now, than from someone else later on and do something rash because of it. Know that you are in no danger while here at Hogwarts. As long as I am at Hogwarts, you, and everyone else at this school, is safe."

It didn't do much to help alleviate the fear Harry was now filled with, but it did help knowing that he wasn't about to be murdered as soon as he walked outside.

"I imagine you must have a lot to think about." Dumbledore said, a hint of concern in his eyes as he looked at Harry. "You will find your trunk in the third year dormitory of Gryffindor Tower. I also took the liberty of having your books for this coming year delivered, and they are also waiting for you there. The password is, I believe, 'Fortuna Major'.

"We shall meet again tomorrow, at nine am. Feel free to explore the castle as you wish, though the restrictions in place during the school year still apply. No wandering around the Forbidden Forest, or the Restricted Section in the library."

"Yes, sir." Harry said, though having been in the Forest twice in the last two years, and with Sirius Black on the loose, he was not in any great hurry to venture into the trees any time soon.

"I will send a house elf up to Gryffindor Tower in an hour. They'll take care of anything you need."

"Thank you, sir," Harry said, rising from the seat and making his way over to the door. "And, thank you for telling me this."

"Not at all, Harry," Dumbledore said, "though I wish I never had to tell you at all."


	4. Dementors and Occlumency

The walk from Dumbledore's office to Gryffindor Tower was much shorter than Harry remembered, and he put it down to not having to fight against the surge of students moving through the halls. The castle also felt so much bigger without the other students, though also more peaceful. Harry also noticed many more portraits on the walls that he was sure he had never seen before. In that moment, he decided that any free time he had over the remainder of the summer would be spent exploring every nook and cranny of the castle.

"Fortuna Major." he said, as he approached the portrait of the Fat Lady. The Fat Lady regarded him curiously.

"Term doesn't start for another month yet." she said, her face full of suspicion. "What brings you back so early?"

"Sorry," Harry said. "that's private. Professor Dumbledore's orders."

"Hmph. Fine, be that way." the Fat Lady said, looking affronted, but swung inwards anyway, allowing Harry entrance to the Gryffindor common room. Harry climbed through the portrait hole, straightening up and looking around the empty common room.

It was odd, being in the common room with no one else there. A roaring fire was blazing away in the fireplace, the seat closest to the fire looked especially warm and inviting. Around the wall hung the usual red and gold banners, all freshly washed and rehung. Dumbledore had mentioned house elves, and Harry had to assume that they were responsible for the cleaning of the castle. He had, of course, seen Mr Filch cleaning around the school, but had never really considered the fact that he had help in doing so. The castle was incredibly large; there must be a veritable army of elves at Hogwarts, and it baffled him that he had never seen them before. His thoughts drifted to Dobby, the elf he had helped to free at the end of the previous term. He wondered briefly what had become of the plucky little elf.

Leaving the common room for the moment, Harry ascended the steps to the third year's dormitory. As Dumbledore had said, his trunk was already at the foot of one of the four poster beds. Also there was Hedwig's empty cage, the owl presumably having already gone to the Owlery. On the bed itself was a pile of books, the textbooks for the coming year. Harry glanced at them as he perched on the edge of his bed, not really in the mood at the minute to peruse them. He kicked his shoes off, placing them neatly by the bed on the floor, then descended back into the common room, settling in the chair by the fire, staring into the flickering flames.

The revelations about Sirius Black weighed heavily on Harry's mind. He had insisted on Dumbledore telling him everything, always keeping him in the loop, but he was only now beginning to realise the full extent of what that truly meant. Harry didn't regret his decision, but it was clear that Dumbledore had not planned on telling him so much, so soon. Harry didn't know if Dumbledore was keeping things from him, and had no way to find out. All he could do was trust that the headmaster would keep his word.

But the headmaster did at least seem dedicated to his promise to train Harry. With the escape of Sirius Black, Harry now had a tangible incentive to try even harder to master whatever it was that Dumbledore had in store for him. If Black did manage to find him, Harry would at least not be completely helpless.

A loud _crack_ startled Harry out of his thoughts. He looked around to see a house elf standing by the chair. A house elf that looked eerily similar to...

"Dobby?"

"Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby squeaked, bowing so low his nose almost touched the floor. "Dobby is so pleased to see Harry Potter, sir!"

"What are you doing here?" Harry asked, staring in surprise at the elf. Not even an hour ago, he had wondered after the elf, and now here he was, still in his pillowcase, though Harry could see his old sock on one of Dobby's feet, poking out of the bottom of the pillowcase.

"Professor Dumbledore says that Dobby must help Harry Potter in whatever way he can, sir!" Dobby beamed, looking up at Harry. "Dobby is truly honoured, sir!"

"No, I mean – what are you doing _here_? At Hogwarts?"

"Dobby works at Hogwarts now, sir!" Dobby said excitedly.

"How?"

"When Harry Potter freed Dobby," Dobby said, shaking his sock-covered foot to illustrate, "Dobby asked Professor Dumbledore if Dobby could stay and work at Hogwarts."

"Don't you want to be free?" Harry asked. Dobby shook his head, his ears swinging wildly.

"But Dobby is free, sir! Professor Dumbledore says that Dobby is free to come and go as he pleases!" Dobby's tennis ball eyes widened, as if he couldn't believe the words that were coming out of his mouth. "But Dobby doesn't, sir. Dobby likes it at Hogwarts. Dobby is always working, sir, and there are other house elves as well, sir, so Dobby is never lonely."

"That's great, Dobby." Harry said, grinning at the enthusiastic little elf, his worries temporarily forgotten. He and Dobby had rather a mixed relationship the previous year, but now, the change in the elf's demeanour was incredible, his joy infectious.

"Dobby thinks so, sir!" Dobby said, jumping up onto the small table in front of the chair Harry was sitting in. "Anyway, Professor Dumbledore says Dobby is to serve Harry Potter, and Dobby does it, sir! Does Harry Potter need anything?"

Harry opened his mouth to respond, but his stomach growled lowly, cutting him off. It was only then he realised how hungry he was.

"Actually, some sandwiches would be great, Dobby."

"Dobby shall be back immediately, sir!" Dobby said, raising his hand to Apparate away, but Harry stopped him.

"Can you walk to the kitchens, Dobby?"

"Of course, sir!"

"Then I'll come with you." Harry said, getting to his feet. "Come on, you can tell me all about working at Hogwarts."

Dobby's eyes brimmed with tears, as though he had never been asked to be accompanied anywhere.

"Dobby is truly honoured to serve Harry Potter, sir!" he said, jumping off the table and pointing to the portrait hole. "This way, sir, follow!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry returned to the Gryffindor common room several hours later, having eaten more in those few hours than he had since he had returned to the Dursley's house at the start of the summer. Dobby had talked almost non-stop the entire way from Gryffindor Tower down to the basement, regaling Harry with stories of his brief time at Hogwarts with great enthusiasm.

The other house elves, while not as excitable as Dobby, were all a delight to talk to. The provided a constant stream of food to Harry, and flatly refused when Harry tried to convince them to eat as well. There were more of them than Harry could count, and all of them had several stories of events they had seen during their tenure at the castle. Their stories were fascinating, insightful, and some hilarious, and Harry lost track of time as he listened to the elves' tales. The one thing they all shared in common was a steadfast loyalty to Dumbledore, and a high opinion of life at Hogwarts. Having seen Dobby while under the Malfoy's employment, seeing so many contented house elves warmed Harry's heart.

The next morning, after eating the breakfast Dobby had left for him on his bedside table, Harry made his way back to Dumbledore's office. With no people in the castle, the chill that constantly swept through the school was far more prominent. Harry pulled his jacket on as he walked down the corridor that led to the entrance of Dumbledore's office.

"Ice Mice." he said to the gargoyle, which jumped aside, allowing Harry passage. He climbed the stairs and knocked on the door, pushing it open when he was bid to enter.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, his brow furrowed slightly as he read a letter. When the door swung open, he looked up, and his expression lightened slightly.

"Ah, Harry, excellent! I trust this morning finds you well?"

"Yes, sir. And yourself?"

Dumbledore lowered his eyes to the letter again.

"It could be better." He held up the parchment. "This is a letter from the Minister for Magic. In light of Sirius Black's escape, Hogwarts shall be playing host to the Dementors of Azkaban, until Black is recaptured and imprisoned."

Harry studied the expression on the headmaster's face.

"You don't like them?"

"There are few who do, and they are the worst wizardkind has to offer." Dumbledore ran a hand over his face. "Dementors are foul creatures. No one is sure where they came from, or who created them. They force us to relive our very worst memories, and feed on the pain, fear, and anguish we feel. It is what gives them their strength."

Harry's eyes widened slightly, all kinds of unpleasant images running through his mind.

"When you say feed . . . "

"A Dementor's worst weapon is known as the Dementor's Kiss." Dumbledore explained. "We relive that which we would rather forget, and then they suck out the victim's soul."

Harry looked horrified.

"They kill you?"

"No, you can survive without your soul, but you would be nothing more than a shell; a body devoid of any emotion or empathy. It is a cruel fate, and one I would not wish on anyone."

"I think death would be preferable." Harry said, shuddering at the thought of having your soul sucked out of your body.

"I agree, but that is what makes them useful as guards of a prison." Dumbledore said, though he, too, looked repulsed. "Azkaban is a fortress, far out in the North Sea. But the Dementors keep the prisoners trapped inside their own minds, reliving their very worst memories. Many go mad within weeks." Dumbledore sighed sadly. "I campaigned for a long time to have the Dementors removed, but I was overruled. They may be terrible beings, but they are effective, and while they remain effective, so shall they remain at Azkaban."

Harry sat in stunned silence. He knew Hagrid had been sent to the island prison last year, but he had never told Harry of his experience, and Harry had never asked. He was glad now that he hadn't.

"Azkaban must be terrible."

"Indeed it is." Dumbledore was silent for a moment, watching Harry with his light-blue gaze. Finally he spoke again. "In light of this, I have had to re-evaluate what I was going to be teaching you this summer. I had planned on teaching you how to shield your mind, but the presence of the Dementors adds a problem."

"Which is?"

"As I said, Dementors force us to relive our very worst memories. I believe that they will affect you worse than anyone else in this school. You have horrors in your past that your classmates cannot begin to fathom. I feel it would be more prudent for me to teach you how to defend yourself against Dementors."

Harry nodded.

"You should be aware that what I will be teaching you is very advanced. Most is well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level, some even past N.E.W.T level. I do not expect you to pick it up straight away, so do not be disheartened if it takes you a while."

"I didn't agree to help thinking it would be easy, Professor."

Dumbledore allowed a small, proud smile to grace his features.

A very mature outlook, Harry. No, it will not be easy; nothing worth doing ever is.

"The spells I will be teaching you will require a lot of energy, which means that you should refrain from practising them on your own at first. As you continue to use them and get better at casting them, the energy needed will decrease. Therefore, our sessions will not be several hours long, you will be pleased to hear."

Harry nodded in understanding.

"I see."

Dumbledore leaned back in his chair, stroking his beard as he thought.

"The only other problem is how to practise combatting a Dementor with you. I absolutely refuse to bring an actual Dementor onto the school grounds, so I will think on it over the summer. For now, we shall simply have to do without."

Harry nodded again, although he couldn't help but feel a little relieved. After what Dumbledore had told him of Dementors, he had no urge to meet one in the flesh any time soon.

"For now, I will instruct you in Occlumency." Dumbledore said, leaning forward slightly. "Your position is a complete secret, and if the wrong people were to find out, it would spell disaster, particularly if that person was close to Voldemort."

"What exactly is Occlumency, sir?" Harry asked, his stomach clenching slightly in anticipation.

"It is a form of mind magic, used to stop others from entering your mind. If they do so, they can see your thoughts, fears, and secrets, and potentially use them against you. It is not mind reading - " he said, raising a hand as Harry opened his mouth. "it is much more complex than that. This is something that is imperative for you to learn."

"I understand, sir."

Dumbledore stood up and walked around his desk. Waving his wand, an expanse of his office cleared itself as he approached, stools and other pieces of furniture whizzing away against the walls, motioning for Harry to join him as he went.

"There are two different ways of entering a person's mind, and three ways of repelling them." Dumbledore began, once Harry was standing opposite him. "I will enter your mind both ways first, so you know what it feels like, then I will teach you how to resist such invasion." He raised his wand and pointed it at Harry, who flinched slightly. " _Legilimens!_ "

Harry gasped as images flashed through his mind, barely recognising them before they were replaced with something else. Fluffy, the Chamber, Aragog, Tom Riddle, Quirrell, Ron and Hermione, Privet Drive...

As suddenly as the images presented themselves, the flow stopped. Harry looked at Dumbledore, who was looking at Harry in slight concern.

"Are you all right, Harry? The first time is always a little unnerving."

Harry nodded, breathing slightly more deeply than he normally did. "I'm fine, sir."

"Dumbledore smiled. "Good. As you no doubt saw, that method of Legilimency is very obvious to the subject. The other method is far more subtle. Long-term practitioners of Legilimency can enter and leave a person's mind without them ever knowing they were there. It involves reaching out with your mind and latching onto the other person's. It is very difficult to learn, as is the case with all forms of mind magic. However, it is devastatingly effective in almost all situations. Prepare yourself."

Harry waited nervously as Dumbledore took in a deep breath, unsure of what to expect. To his surprise, he didn't feel any difference. He wondered if Dumbledore had, however unlikely it may seem, made a mistake.

"I've made no mistake, Harry." Dumbledore said, smiling at the look of shock on Harry's face. "Concentrate, and you will see."

Harry drew in a breath and forced himself to relax slightly. He started as he felt a presence, barely noticeable, just tugging on the edge of his mind. It was rather an unusual feeling. He looked up to see Dumbledore, his smile even wider than before.

"Ah, you found it, excellent."

Harry felt the presence withdraw as Dumbledore dropped the connection.

"As you see, these two methods are very different." Dumbledore said, observing Harry over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "The first method is very rarely used, as it is not very accurate, and the subject is aware that their mind is being invaded. In a high-stress situation, however, it can be effective. The second method is much more refined. That method allows you to see the emotions and thoughts of the subject, as well as memories and the like. However, you have to sift through the other person's entire conscious, which requires time and patience, particularly if you don't know what you are looking for.

"As I said, there are three methods of repelling someone. Two are effective against the first method of entry, while the other can be used to defend against both. The first way does not require the use of mind magic. It is simply a Shield Charm."

"I don't know how to do a Shield Charm, sir." Harry admitted.

"That's fine, Harry. It is a crude method of protecting your mind anyway. I will, of course, teach you Shield Charms, but not right now. The other way to defend against a straight-out assault is to feed one particular memory to the exclusion of all others. You must concentrate on one memory, and use it to force the attacker out."

"And the final method?"

"You must erect mental barriers around your mind. It can be anything, so long as it is impenetrable. A solid steel box, a brick wall, even your big toenail if you can't think of anything else."

Harry snorted slightly as an image of a wall of toenails swam to the forefront of his mind. He shook his head and returned his attention to the headmaster.

"This is the hardest method to defend with, as it requires your utmost concentration, whilst still being aware of your surroundings. I am not expecting you to pick it up straight away, however, by the end of the summer, I hope you will at least have the basics down."

Harry nodded, his face set with determination.

"I won't let you down, sir."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry.

"I will enter your mind using the first method, as that is much easier to defend against. Prepare yourself."

Harry took in a breath, readying himself for the onslaught of images.

" _Legilimens!_ "


	5. Dementors on a Train

The rest of the summer flew by far too quickly for Harry's liking. He would wake up to a tray of breakfast before heading to Dumbledore's office to continue his tuition in advanced magic. After the sessions had ended, Harry would spend his time either down in the kitchens with Dobby and the other elves, exploring the castle, or simply talking with the various portraits around the castle. Every occupant of the paintings had fascinating stories to tell, and Harry would sit on the floor by their frames for hours, listening in delight to their tales.

Dumbledore had not been joking when he had said that the material would be difficult. In addition to his Occlumency training, Dumbledore had also started teaching Harry various spells, all of which were at least O.W.L level.

Harry couldn't deny that the lessons, while taxing as well as physically and magically exhausting, were very interesting. He had taken to defensive spells very quickly, and had become very competent at Stunning, Shielding and Disarming. If Sirius Black found him, Harry was sure he'd be able to hold his own, at least for a while.

Occlumency, however, was proving much more difficult to get to grips with. He couldn't keep Dumbledore out for long, only a second or two, before something broke his concentration.

"You have nothing to be ashamed of, Harry." Dumbledore said gently, as Harry growled in frustration as, yet again, Dumbledore managed to bypass his feeble mental barriers. "I have many decades of experience with Legilimency. The fact you can hold me out at all is impressive in itself."

Harry said nothing, trying not to show just how irritated he was getting. He wiped away the sweat that had once again started to bead on his brow. Dumbledore reached over to his desk and picked up a vial of potion, handing it to Harry.

"I think we should leave it there for now," he said, as Harry took the vial, eyeing it nervously. "It's an energy restorative, you'll feel better after you drink it."

Harry pulled the stopper out and downed the contents. He sighed, feeling a wave of energy rush through him, rejuvenating him and alleviating some of his stress.

"Thanks, sir."

Dumbledore smiled at Harry over the top of his spectacles.

"As you know, term starts again in two days. You can either remain here, or you can return to London and catch the train; catch up with Mr Weasley and Miss Granger before term starts again."

Harry considered for a moment.

"I think I'd be better off staying here. It doesn't make sense to go to King's Cross, just to come straight back again."

"Of course, Harry."

Dumbledore withdrew from a stack of parchment a single page. Handing it to Harry, he said, "This is a note for Madam Pince, allowing you access to the Restricted Section. We shall be continuing your instruction throughout the year, although as you will have studying, as well as Quidditch, no doubt, the sessions shall not be as long nor as regular."

Harry pocketed the note, trying not to let his relief show on his face. He could not remember ever being so exhausted at the end of a day. Some must still have shown in his face though, as Dumbledore smiled knowingly.

"That doesn't mean you can't read up on the theory in your own time. That is why you have that note."

"Have you thought of a way to learn how to stop a Dementor?" Harry asked, hoping that after almost four weeks, the headmaster might have thought of _something_.

"The only plausible way I can think of is to procure a Boggart." Dumbledore said, scratching his beard.

"A Boggart?" Harry asked.

"A Boggart is a shape-shifter, it takes the shape of whatever frightens us the most. You'll learn about them in your Defence Against the dark Arts lessons soon enough, I'm sure." Dumbledore said. "Of course, there is a problem with such a solution."

"A Dementor is not what frightens me most." Harry said, and felt a small wave of pride surge through him as Dumbledore nodded.

"Exactly. Of course, you could try to convince yourself that a Dementor frightens you more than anything in this world, but that is a rather crude method."

"Could we not try it anyway?" Harry asked.

"We could." Dumbledore said thoughtfully. "That leaves us with the other problem of finding a Boggart, although Hogwarts is so big, I'm sure we have a Boggart or two around." He leant back in his chair, studying Harry. "I think you've earned a rest. Go, I shall see you tomorrow morning."

"Thank you, sir."

He turned and walked out of the office, pulling the door shut behind him.

Dumbledore smiled to himself as he unwrapped a sherbet lemon. In the four weeks Harry had been training, he had made far better progress than Dumbledore first imagined. He had always thought that Harry would struggle with Occlumency, as it required a very disciplined mind, as well as incredible control over your emotions. He wouldn't go so far as to say that Harry wore his heart on his sleeve, but if he was to master Occlumency, he would need to exercise much more control.

His thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of a large, unfamiliar, tawny owl. It fluttered through the window, dropped a letter onto Dumbledore's desk and flew away again. Dumbledore cast several spells over the letter, but found nothing of which to be wary. Whoever it was from did not appear to mean harm. Slitting the envelope open, he pulled the parchment out and unfolded it.

 _Albus,_

 _I have reached a decision as to your request for me to join the Hogwarts teaching staff. I will take the job, but I must ask for a supply of Wolfsbane Potion to be available. Being away from the castle once a month will no doubt attract unwelcome attention and questions._

 _Thanking you for this generous offer,_

 _Remus J. Lupin_

Dumbledore smiled again, replacing the letter back into the envelope. _With everything Harry has been told so far, an old family friend may be just what he needs._

-x-x-x-x-x-

As soon as he was back in the Gryffindor common room, Harry grabbed his quill, ink and two rolls of parchment out of his trunk before hurriedly scribbling notes to Ron and Hermione.

 _Ron,_

 _As you know, I've spent the summer with Dumbledore at Hogwarts, so I've decided that I won't be catching the Hogwarts Express. I'll see you and Hermione when you get here._

 _Harry_

He copied out the note again, swapping his friends' names around before heading up to the Owlery. Even though there were no students at the castle, the volume of school owls still made it difficult to locate Hedwig. When he eventually found her, he tempted her down from her perch with an Owl Treat before tying the letters to her leg and sending her on her way. He watched from the window as she grew smaller and smaller in the distance, until she finally vanished from sight. He gazed out across the grounds for a moment more, before turning and heading back to Gryffindor Tower.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Ron walked down the train as quickly as he could, followed by Hermione and his sister, looking for an empty compartment. He had received a note from Harry only a couple of days ago, telling him that he wouldn't be taking the train. He had thought this odd, until Hermione had reasoned that there was no point in Harry coming all the way back to London, just to go straight back to where he had come from. Still, Ron couldn't help but feel a little slighted.

They had reached the end of the train. Sliding the compartment door open, Ron could see a man asleep in one of the seats.

"Come on, everywhere else is full." Hermione said, squeezing past Ron into the compartment. Ron let Ginny past as well, before sliding the door shut behind him. Sitting down opposite Hermione, he looked at the stranger.

"Who d'you reckon he is?"

"Professor R. J. Lupin." Hermione responded promptly. Ron gaped at her.

"How could you possibly know that?"

Hermione sighed.

"It's on his suitcase, Ron." she said, exasperatedly.

"Oh."

Professor Lupin looked rather unkempt, in Ron's opinion, even though he knew he was in no position to criticise. His robes were patched and frayed, and had been darned in several places. His hair was brown, but was streaked with grey. His face looked rather tired. If he had to guess his age, Ron would have placed him in his mid-forties.

The train juddered as it pulled away out of the station. Ron looked out of the window as the train picked up speed, until the station finally vanished.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Only a few hours later, the train shuddered to a sudden halt. Hermione looked up from her copy of the Daily Prophet at the sudden jolt.

"Why are we stopping? We can't be at Hogwarts yet, surely?"

Ron looked at Professor Lupin, who hadn't moved since they had entered the compartment. The train stopping didn't seem to have woken him.

"I don't . . . "

He was cut off as all the lights were snuffed out. Hermione's cat, Crookshanks, hissed as Scabbers squeaked and buried himself in Ron's jacket pocket.

An icy chill spread itself down the train. Ginny whimpered as the cold reached their compartment. Ron carefully made his way to the door through the darkness, reaching out for the handle. Before he even came close, however, they could see movement on the other side of the now frosted window. Ron pulled his wand out of his pocket.

" _Lumos!_ "

The soft light from his wand tip illuminated the compartment. Through the window, they could see a large, hooded, and cloaked figure reaching for the handle. Ron stepped back, keeping his wand aloft. Then, the door slid open.

The figure in question was clad in a long, black, hooded cloak. Ron stumbled backward as the figure looked directly at him, drawing in a long, rattling breath. Whatever this thing was, it wasn't human. His back was now pressed up against the ice-covered glass of the train window. As the creature looked at him, Ron could see in his mind's eye several images flashing before him; the time Fred turned his teddy bear into a spider; the chess game during his first year; when Ginny had been taken into the Chamber of Secrets; Hermione, lying Petrified in the Hospital Wing.

Then the creature turned it's attention to Ginny. Ron was rooted to the spot; he couldn't move, couldn't help his sister. Hermione, too, seemed incapable of movement. He watched in horror as Ginny's body went rigid, her face tilted upwards toward the creature as it drew in another of those terrible breaths. It bent down toward her, it's face inches from hers . . .

Suddenly, Professor Lupin was on his feet, wand in hand, as if he had never been asleep, rather, lying in wait, like a predator stalking its prey. He pointed his wand at the creature.

"None of us are hiding Sirius Black beneath our cloaks. Leave, now!"

His voice was rather hoarse, as though he was not in the habit of using it, but those words had an air of power and authority about them. The hooded creature turned to face him, but didn't move.

"Leave, now!"

It didn't. Instead, it turned it's attention back to Ginny, who still hadn't moved, bending toward her, one slimy, rotting hand reaching out toward her face.

The next few moments happened so fast, Ron barely had time to register them. Hermione screamed as the thing nearly covered Ginny, Ron cried out, a mixture of fear and helplessness, Professor Lupin shouted something that was lost in the din, but was evidently a spell, as a bright silver _something_ shot from the end of his wand toward the creature. Like a bat out of a cave, it swooped out of the compartment, leaving a shaking Ginny behind.

As soon as it had gone, some warmth returned to the compartment. Professor Lupin waved his wand again and the lights reignited. He strode over to Ginny, who was hugging her knees to her body, looking concernedly into her eyes. Seeming to be assured that there was no harm done, he reached into his robes and pulled out a bar of chocolate, breaking it into pieces, handing a piece each to Ron, Hermione and an extra big piece to Ginny.

"Eat, it'll help."

Now that the hooded entity was gone, Ron noticed a certain tiredness to his voice. He bit into the chocolate, and felt warmth flood his body.

"What was that?" Hermione asked, pulling Ginny toward her.

"That was a Dementor, one of the guards of . . . "

"Azkaban." Ron finished. "Dad told me about them." Now that the Dementor was gone, he found it a lot easier to think clearly.

Lupin nodded.

"It was searching the train for Sirius Black, or so I was told before boarding. I never would have thought they would attempt to attack a student. I must apologise for not stepping in sooner."

Ron ate some more chocolate.

"Will Ginny . . . "

"She will be fine," Lupin said, pre-empting Ron's question. "Dementors force us to relive our very worst memories; it is what they feed on. Some of us," he said, looking at Ginny. "have seen worse things than others."

Ginny didn't say anything, continuing to nibble on her piece of chocolate, but Ron thought he knew exactly what she had seen. Lupin strode over to the door, pulling it ajar.

"I'm going to go and check on the other students, make sure they're all alright." he said, handing the bar of chocolate to Ginny as he passed. "We should nearly be at Hogwarts, so I would suggest you change." With that, he turned and walked away down the train.

Ron looked at his sister, and was relieved to see that some of the colour had returned to her face. What he had seen had certainly scared him; for her, it must have been almost unendurable. Maybe it was best that Harry hadn't joined them after all.


	6. Catching Up

Harry was standing in a dark corner of the Entrance Hall, Invisibility Cloak folded over his arm, watching the front doors of the castle, waiting for the arrival of the other students. Over the last two days, the teachers had returned to the castle, meaning that Harry had been confined to Gryffindor Tower. Not that he had minded. He had spent the time looking through his books for the new year.

The Care of Magical Creatures book was certainly something else. He had thought it odd that it had been bound by a large belt, and had made the mistake of removing it. The book had promptly taken to destroying anything it could reach on the floor after Harry had hastily dropped it, and it had taken a well-aimed Stunner from Harry to enable him to belt the book shut again. He had asked Dumbledore how to open it, but the Headmaster wouldn't tell him.

"I have always found experience to be the best teacher," he had said. "See if you can work it out for yourself."

So Harry tried. He tried opening and Immobilising the book. No good. He had tried a Full Body Bind. Nope. He even tried levitating the book. No good either. He had been about to give up when he noticed that the book let out a soft, purring noise whenever he touched the spine. He ran his hand down the spine, and was surprised when the book shuddered and relaxed. Cautiously, he had removed the belt, and the book just fell open.

The actual contents of the book were very interesting. Some creatures, Harry had to admit, seemed incredibly boring and of little practical use, like Flobberworms, or downright dangerous, such as a Valcore. Whoever the teacher was, Harry decided, Care of Magical Creatures would be very interesting indeed.

Divination, however, he was having second thoughts about. After hearing Dumbledore's opinion on the subject, as well as having looked though the textbook, Harry was sure that he would be wasting his time in that particular class. He had decided to stick with it for the time being, and drop it later if he really didn't get on with it.

He was brought out of his reverie by Dumbledore coming down the stairs, a look of absolute fury on his face, something Harry had never seen before from the headmaster.

"Sir?" he asked cautiously, not wanting to anger Dumbledore further.

Dumbledore stopped and looked round, his face losing some of the hardness it had shown before.

"Ah, Harry."

"Is something wrong?"

The moment the words were out of his mouth he felt foolish. It was a childish question, but he couldn't think of another way to phrase it.

Dumbledore sighed.

"I just received word that Dementors boarded the Hogwarts Express, looking for Sirius Black."

Harry was confused.

"Surely that's a good thing? Ensuring the safety of the students?"

"Not when they try to attack a student."

Harry's jaw dropped.

They attacked a _student_? Who?"

"Young Miss Weasley. As if she didn't go through enough last year."

Harry recalled what Dumbledore had told him about Dementors, and wasn't surprised they would be drawn to Ginny. What she had experienced last year would have tempted the Dementors a great deal. It disgusted him.

"Surely they were under orders not to attack the students?"

"They were," Dumbledore said. "but they aren't adverse to disobeying if they can feed." He sighed again, suddenly looking many years older. "This is precisely why I didn't want them here. The students are at too great a risk."

"They'll be at greater risk if Sirius Black gets to them." Harry reasoned. He wasn't defending the Dementors' actions, but he could at least try to see both sides of the situation.

"True, but the safety of the students shouldn't be based on a 'lesser of two evils' approach. I will have to instil some measure of control in the Dementors. While they are here, they are under _my_ authority, and not the Ministry's."

"I understand, sir."

Dumbledore looked down at Harry kindly.

"I am not disagreeing with you, Harry. It is good to see you looking at the big picture. But this is my problem, not yours. Let me worry about it."

"Of course, sir."

"I believe the students should be arriving soon." Dumbledore said, looking at his gold pocket watch. "I suggest you get that on." He nodded at the cloak, still folded over Harry's arm. Harry quickly shook the cloak out, swinging it around his shoulders, so only his head remained visible. Dumbledore smiled slightly, before walking into the Great Hall. Harry pulled up the hood and waited for the rest of the school to arrive.

He didn't have to wait long. A few short minutes later the students were hurrying in, desperate to get out of the cold and rain and into the dry and warmth of the school. Harry scanned the sea of heads in front of him and soon located his two best friends. Ron's flaming red hair was clearly visible amidst the blacks, browns and blondes of the students around him. Hermione was on his left side, hair plastered to her scalp, and Ginny was on Ron's other side. Harry noticed she seemed rather pale and more than a little shaken. He stepped forward, joining the throng of students filing into the Great Hall. He kept the cloak on all the way to the Gryffindor table, waiting until they sat down. As soon as they were, he pulled off the cloak and grabbed Ron's shoulder.

"Guess who?"

Ron started, nearly falling off his seat. Ginny made a small chirping sound, and Hermione squealed, "HARRY!" before jumping out of her seat and throwing her arms around him. Harry returned the hug before sitting down next to Ron, who had gone almost as pale as Ginny.

"Blimey, mate. 'Hello' not good enough for you?"

Harry laughed.

"And miss the look on your face? Not likely."

Ginny giggled as Ron harrumphed and straightened his robes.

"So?" Hermione asked excitedly. "What did Dumbledore teach you?"

Harry opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, the doors to the Great Hall swung open. A line of scared-looking first years walked timidly into the Hall, looking everywhere but at the sea of faces staring at them, led by Professor McGonagall. When they reached the front, they lined up along the Staff Table as Professor McGonagall pulled the Sorting Hat out of her robes and placed it on the crooked stool at the front. Harry could see the first years eyeing it nervously. Then, the rip near the brim opened and the Hat began to sing.

Harry studied the first years as the Hat sang. Maybe he was imagining it, but they all seemed a lot shorter this year. He was certain he wasn't _that_ short when he started at Hogwarts.

The Hall burst into applause as the Hat finished its song. Harry clapped politely with everyone else and sat back to watch the Sorting.

"Aarons. Derek!"

A small boy shuffled forward, regarding the Hat cautiously, as if expecting it to explode. He sat on the stool as Professor McGonagall placed the Hat on his head. A few moments, of silence, then: "GRYFFINDOR!"

Derek's shoulders sagged with relief as he jumped off the stool and nearly ran to the Gryffindor table. Harry clapped along with the rest of his House as the small boy sat down.

"Buxton, Amanda!"

"RAVENCLAW!"

And so it continued, all the way through to, "Vanesco, Lisa!"

After she had been Sorted and taken her seat at the Slytherin table, Professor McGonagall placed the Sorting Hat to one side and took her place next to Dumbledore at the Staff Table as the headmaster got to his feet.

"Welcome, one and all, to a new year at Hogwarts!" he said cheerily, all traces of his earlier anger apparently gone, though having spent the entire summer getting to know Dumbledore, Harry could still detect a slight note of anger in his voice. "I have several start-of-term notices to bring to your attention, but as one of them is a most serious matter, I think it best to wait until after what I'm told is an excellent feast. Tuck in!"

There was a great clattering of cutlery as the assembled students and staff began to load up their plates with food. Harry piled his plate with steak, carrots, peas, and roast potatoes and drowned it all in gravy before turning his attention to his friends.

"So, how were your summers?"

"Brilliant!" Ron said, spearing a potato with his fork. "Dad won the Daily Prophet Prize Draw. One thousand Galleons!"

Harry's heart leapt. Of all the people he knew, the Weasleys were more deserving of the prize money than anyone.

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed.

"Yeah." said Ron. "Most of it went on a holiday to Egypt, to see Bill. But Mum and Dad got me a new wand as well, look."

He drew his wand from within his robes, showing it to Harry.

"14 inches, willow and unicorn hair." he said proudly. "Works so much better than Charlie's old wand."

Harry smiled slightly at the irony, remembering the start of term last year, when Ron's old wand had been snapped during their encounter with the Whomping Willow. As Ron replaced his wand back into his robes, he turned his attention to Hermione.

"What about you, Hermione?"

"I went to France with Mum and Dad." Hermione said. "They don't see much of me now I'm at Hogwarts, so it was kind of a birthday treat as well as a family holiday."

Ron snorted. Harry looked round.

"They gave her some money to get herself an early birthday present in Diagon Alley as well." he said darkly. "Ask her what she bought."

Harry turned to Hermione questioningly.

"I got a cat." Hermione said. "I mean you two have pets, so . . . "

"The _cat_ ," Ron interjected, "nearly scalped me and tried to eat Scabbers."

"It's a cat, Ron." Hermione said, in a tone of one who was now bored of this conversation. "What do you expect?"

Harry ignored Ron's retort, instead turning his attention to Ginny, who was sat across from him. Looking at her closely, he could see that she still looked a little shaken, but the meal seemed to be doing her some good.

"Are you okay?" he asked gently. "I heard about the Dementor."

Ginny nodded.

"I'm fine," she said, though her voice was small and still shook slightly. "It was just unexpected, is all. I didn't expect it to affect me so much."

"You should go to Madam Pomfrey," Harry said. "just for a once over."

Ginny nodded.

"I will. Thanks, Harry."

Moments later, the puddings appeared. Harry grabbed a slice of treacle tart and a scoop of ice cream as Hermione turned back to him.

"So, what did Dumbledore teach you?" she asked again. Ron's head snapped up at this.

Harry lowered his voice slightly.

"Nothing of major importance, just basic duelling stuff." he said, choosing his words carefully. "He also taught me a bit about how to defend my mind from magical attacks." He decided to leave out the revelation about Sirius Black for now. He didn't want to worry his two friends.

Hermione looked impressed.

"Mind magic?" she said. "That's pretty advanced stuff."

Harry chuckled.

"You're telling me."

The rest of the meal passed with no further questions, the trio preferring to make small talk, rather than interrogate Harry, for which he was immensely grateful. After the puddings, too, vanished, Dumbledore once again rose to his feet. The Hall fell silent immediately.

"Well, now that we're all fed and watered, I had best crack on with the start-of-term notices." Dumbledore said, his twinkling eyes gazing out at the students. "First years should note that the forest in the Grounds is forbidden to _all_ pupils." His eyes flicked to Harry and Ron at this, both of whom had the decency to look slightly abashed. "Mr Filch has asked me to remind you that there is to be no magic used between classes in the corridors. A list of all banned items has been drawn up and is available for viewing in Mr Filch's office." Harry's eyes wandered to the Weasley twins, who were exchanging meaningful glances. Harry was sure he knew what that was about. "Trips to Hogsmeade Village are available to those of you in third year and above with your guardian's permission. As always, Quidditch trials will be held in the second week of term. Contact Madam Hooch for more details.

"We have two changes in staffing this year." Dumbledore continued. "Firstly, Professor Kettleburn, our Care of Magical Creatures teacher, has decided to retire, in order to spend more time with his remaining limbs. However, I am pleased to announce that our very own Rubeus Hagrid will be taking over as Care of Magical Creatures professor, in addition to his gamekeeping duties."

Harry, Ron and Hermione led the applause as Hagrid stood up at the Staff Table.

"Of course!" Ron bellowed over the noise. "Who else would have sent us a biting book?"

Harry was beaming. He knew how much this appointment would have meant to Hagrid, and couldn't be more pleased for his largest friend.

Once the noise died down, Dumbledore gestured to his left.

"Also joining our ranks as Defence Against the Dark Arts professor this year is Professor Remus Lupin. I'm sure you'll all join me in wishing the professor good luck."

A smattering of polite applause sounded around the Great Hall. Harry looked over at Lupin as he clapped. He seemed very tired and worn, as though his body had aged faster than time had planned. His brown hair was flecked with grey and his robes were very well-worn.

"And finally," Here, Dumbledore's voice took on a more serious edge. "you will all no doubt be aware that over the summer, Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban." Murmurs broke out among the students at this. "Silence." Dumbledore called in a commanding tone, and the whispers abated immediately. "Due to this, the Ministry has decided that Hogwarts will play host to the Dementors of Azkaban, until such a time as Sirius Black is recaptured." His eyes looked over everyone in the Hall. "I will warn you now; it is not in the nature of a Dementor to be forgiving. They will not differentiate between the one they hunt, and the one who stands in their way. Therefore, I ask each and every one of you, to give the Dementors no reason to harm you. The Dementors will not be coming onto the grounds for any reason, and any student caught leaving the grounds without express permission _will_ be punished. You have been warned.

"Time for bed, I think. Off you pop!"

Many people seemed rather shocked by the announcement, so much so that there was a rather pregnant pause between Dumbledore's dismissal and actual movement from the students. Harry stood with Ron and Hermione and joined the crowd leaving the Great Hall, making the now familiar journey up to Gryffindor Tower. As they went, Harry reflected on the summer that had just passed, how much he had already accomplished, and how much he still had to learn.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sirius Black made his way up the winding path that led to Hogwarts castle. Even though he hadn't been there for many years, the route was still deeply embedded in his memory. As he approached the sweeping lawns, he tapped into his magic and transformed himself back into the shaggy black dog. Swiftly and silently, he padded across the lawns, making his way toward the Forbidden Forest. Checking his surroundings, he plunged into the inky blackness, searching for a place to hide and wait.


	7. Tea With Trelawney

The next morning, Harry, Ron and Hermione all went down to the Great Hall together, still swapping stories about their summers. Ron told them all about Egypt and the pyramids, while Hermione described Dijon and the time spent with her parents before returning to London to buy her school supplies.

They sat down at their usual places at the Gryffindor table and piled their plates with bacon, sausages, and eggs. As they ate, Professor McGonagall walked along the length of the table handing out timetables to all the Gryffindor students. Harry took his, and saw that he had Divination first thing.

"We'd better hurry up," Ron said, looking at his own timetable. "Divination's right at the top of North Tower." Harry nodded his agreement and proceeded to wolf down the remainder of his breakfast. As soon as Hermione had also finished eating, the trio swung their bags onto their shoulders and made their way to the Entrance Hall before proceeding up the marble staircase.

None of them had ever been to the North Tower before. Hermione took it upon herself to try and lead the way, but to no avail.

"I think it's this way." Ron said, pointing down a corridor.

"Can't be," Hermione said. "That's west, you can see the lake from the window, look."

Harry remained silent. Despite spending all summer here alone save for Dumbledore, he had never explored the castle, instead focussing on what Dumbledore was teaching him.

Then it hit him. It was a simple spell, Dumbledore had only mentioned it in passing, but it might just work. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he laid it in the palm of his hand. Ron opened his mouth to speak, but Hermione shushed him, watching Harry intently. Fixing his thoughts on the North Tower, he said, " _Point Me!_ "

Ron and Hermione looked on in amazement as Harry's wand spun on his palm, pointing down the corridor next to the one Ron had pointed out.

"Come on, down here."

"What spell is that?" Hermione asked. "I've never seen it in any of our textbooks."

"Dumbledore mentioned it over the summer," Harry explained, as they passed a portrait of a knight trying to get on a fat pony. "It makes your wand act as a sort of compass. Didn't think it would actually work, though."

Hermione looked impressed as they continued down a long hallway, while Ron just looked bemused. At the next fork, Harry repeated the spell, and a few short minutes later, they found the rest of the class at the end of a corridor.

Ron smirked.

"Looks like your spell didn't work after all."

Harry looked around. There didn't seem to be any hidden doors anywhere. Everyone else had the same bewildered expression on their faces as they, too, looked for the classroom. Harry tilted his head back and exhaled, and noticed a trapdoor above their heads.

"Yes it did. Look." he said, pointing at the door. Ron looked up, and his shoulders sagged slightly.

"How're we supposed to get up there?"

As if in answer to his question, the door swung inwards and a silvery ladder fell to the floor. Neville, who had been standing under the trapdoor when it had opened, jumped out of the way as the ladder came down where he had been standing moments before. Ron peered up into the classroom then looked at Harry.

"After you."

Harry adjusted his bag on his back and started up the ladder.

He emerged in the strangest looking classroom he had ever been in. It was filled with small tables, all surrounded by armchairs and pouffes. There was a roaring fire in one corner and the sickly scent of lavender and jasmine hung in the air, making him gag slightly. Shelves lined the walls, holding all manner of objects. All in all, it looked like a cross between an antiques shop and someone's attic.

"Blimey," Ron said as his head appeared. He pulled himself through and looked around. "This is a classroom?"

"Apparently." Harry said, as Hermione, too, appeared, wrinkling her nose at the heavy perfume in the air. "Come on, let's grab a table."

He led them to a table near the back of the classroom, as far from the stifling heat of the fire as was physically possible. They watched as everyone else clambered into the classroom and took seats around a table. Lavender and Parvati were whispering excitedly to each other.

"Good morning." came a dreamy voice. Most of the class jumped, and Neville almost fell out of his chair.

A tall, thin woman appeared out of the shadows. This, Harry supposed, was Professor Trelawney. Her wrists and hands were encased in shimmering bangles and rings, and she was draped in a sequinned shawl. Numerous lengths of beads hung around her neck. She wore glasses that magnified her eyes to almost ten times their normal size. Overall, she gave Harry the impression of a large, glittering insect. Next to him, he could hear Ron attempting to stifle his laughter.

"How wonderful to see you all at last." She had a misty, ethereal voice that made her sound as if she were daydreaming. "You are all here because you have chosen to study the fine art of Divination. However, it will not be an easy journey into the future. In January, classes will be disrupted by a nasty bout of flu, and by the end of the year, at least one of us will no longer be studying with us."

Hermione snorted, and Harry, too, was less than impressed. January was the middle of winter, of course people would come down with flu. He found it hard to believe that every student continued with all of their electives as well. He had to admit, these were rather broad statements, with plenty of room for error. He was beginning to think that Dumbledore had a point about Divination.

"There will be some of you who will struggle with Divination," Professor Trelawney continued in the same dreamy tone. "but for those of you that possess the Sight, you will find the next three years most enlightening.

"Today, we will be learning the art of reading tea leaves. You will brew a pot of tea, drink it quickly and then pass your cup to your left. The person next to you will attempt to discern your fate from the dregs." She pulled her wand from within her shawl and waved it at a shelf. Several teapots, as well as cups and saucers floated to each table. Hermione took it upon herself to make the tea while Harry and Ron flicked through their textbooks to the necessary page.

Harry had thought over the summer that the meanings of the shapes the tea leaves formed were rather vague at best, and in practice, this was even more so. Try as he might, he couldn't discern anything form the soggy mush in the bottom of Ron's cup. Hermione was huffing with indignation. Harry could tell that she, too, considered this to be a waste of time.

"Broaden your minds!" came Professor Trelawney's voice over the classroom. "Look beyond the mundane!"

Harry sighed and placed the cup back onto the saucer. This was not going to help him in the fight against Voldemort, that much he was sure. He could think of a hundred different things he would much rather be doing. He was vaguely aware of Ron and Hermione also putting down their cups.

That moment, Professor Trelawney came over to their table, looking slightly confused at their lack of activity.

"Are you struggling?" she asked. Harry was beginning to find her voice quite irksome.

"This is ridiculous." Hermione said. "I can't see anything in here, and even if I could, it wouldn't matter."

Professor Trelawney peered at her.

"And why is that, my dear?"

"Well, the future isn't set in stone. Every choice we make affects our future. Therefore, the future is impossible to predict."

Most of the class had stopped what they were doing to listen in, many with looks of amazement on their faces. None of them had ever heard Hermione talk that way to a teacher. Professor Trelawney stiffened slightly.

"Divination is not about seeing the future, my dear." she said, giving Hermione an almost condescending look. "It is about seeing the possibilities of the future." Hermione didn't look convinced, but Professor Trelawney apparently felt that the subject was closed, and picked up Harry's cup, gazing into it intently.

"Let's see . . . "

Suddenly, she gave a small scream,tossing the cup away from her as if it had burned her. She looked at Harry, tears in the corners of her eyes.

"My boy, my dear boy. I'm afraid you have . . . the Grim."

Harry didn't have the first clue what a Grim was, but the words seemed to have a profound effect on those from magical families. Neville went white, Lavender let out a soft "Oh!" and Ron looked at Harry with fear in his eyes.

"What's the Grim?"

"It is an omen, my dear," Professor Trelawney said, looking at Harry in much the same way as Ron was. "It is an omen, the worst omen, of . . . death."

Hermione snorted. Professor Trelawney gave her an unreadable look before striding away to join Lavender and Parvati at their table. Harry picked up his cup and looked down into it, but couldn't see anything in it at all that even closely resembled anything recognisable.

Thankfully, the bell rang moments later. Harry, Ron and Hermione picked up their bags and hurried out of the stifling classroom.

"Harry?" Ron asked as they made their way to Transfiguration. "You haven't seen a great black dog anywhere, have you?"

Harry shook his head.

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Oh, honestly, Ron," Hermione said impatiently. "You really believe in death omens?"

"You don't understand. My Uncle Bilius saw one once, and he died 24 hours later."

"Coincidence."

Ron shook his head as they entered Professor McGonagall's classroom. They sat in the same seats that they always had, pulled their books out of their bags and waited for Professor McGonagall.


	8. Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks hurried through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, barely making it to the lift. She bounced on the balls of her feet as the lift made it's slow journey to the Auror Office on Level Two. Mad-Eye would not forgive her if she was late today.

The lift finally reached the Auror Office and Tonks rushed out, nearly knocking over a Hit Wizard on her way. She dashed over to her cubicle, tossing her travelling cloak over her seat before she heard Mad-Eye approaching, his wooden leg clunking as he went, creating a slow, steady rhythm on the wooden floor.

"Late again, Nymphadora?" he asked, as he reached her cubicle. Tonks shook her head.

"It's Tonks, not _Nymphadora_ ," she said, mentally cursing her mother once again for giving her such a ridiculous name. "and I think you'll find I'm right on time."

Mad-Eye grunted.

"In that case, I'll assume you're ready to go." Tonks nodded. Mad-Eye eyed her hair, today a bright bubblegum pink. "You might want to think about changing that," he said, nodding at her hair. "it'll do you no favours. Just a hint." Tonks screwed up her face, and her hair became a dark brown ponytail. Mad-Eye nodded. "Better. Now, let's go."

He stumped away, not checking whether Tonks was following or not. Tonks quickly double-checked she had her wand, not wanting the verbal lashing she'd received three weeks ago again, and followed him out and down the hallway to the live-fire training room.

When she reached the training area, Tonks could see all the other Auror recruits were already there.

 _Maybe I wasn't quite on time after all,_ she thought as she joined the group. A couple of them nodded a greeting but most just ignored her. She was the young one, the clumsy one. The one that they all thought shouldn't be there.

"All right, listen up, because I'm only going to say this once." Mad-Eye said as he stumped to the front. "This is a live fire training exercise. When you enter, the environment will be created at random. I will give you your objective before you go in. The enemies you face are not real, but all spells that are used against you will be real, with the exception of the Killing Curse. If you are hit with that, you will be returned here and will fail this training module. Similarly, any change to the environment that would be fatal will also return you here and cause you to fail.

"You may not use any of the Unforgivable Curses. If you do, on your return you will fail this training module. Aurors do not use Unforgivables while on missions, so there is no need to use them in training. You may work alone or in a group, although if you work in a group, I expect your handling of the situation you find yourselves in to be exceptional."

Tonks' stomach twisted unpleasantly. She was almost certain she'd end up working alone. No one wanted to work with someone whose clumsiness could cost them their chance at continuing their training.

"You will all be informed when the mission has been completed." Mad-Eye continued. "To communicate with each other, you can use the accepted Auror communication protocol. Just remember that doing so may draw unwanted attention to yourself.

"Any questions?"

Silence.

"Very well then; your objective." Mad-Eye looked at each of them individually before continuing. "A Ministry official has been kidnapped and is being held hostage by a group of Dark witches and wizards. You must successfully extract the hostage without them being killed. If the hostage is killed, you will all fail this training exercise. Once the hostage is secured, you will all be informed." Mad-Eye drew his wand and jabbed it at a door over his shoulder, which swung open. Tonks peered at it, but could see nothing but inky blackness beyond.

"In you go, then."

The Auror recruits filed past Mad-Eye as they entered the room. As Tonks passed him, Mad-Eye's features softened slightly and he gave her a small smile. Tonks smiled back as she went through the door and was enveloped by the darkness.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, they were bathed in white light. Tonks instinctively slammed her eyes shut against the sudden light. When she opened them again, she saw everyone else blinking rapidly, trying to adjust to the sudden changes in light.

They were stood in what appeared to be an ordinary Muggle street. Judging by the darkness, it was the middle of the night. Boarded up shopfronts flanked them on both sides of the street. To their right was a park filled with overgrown hedges, to their left, an overflowing bin.

"Right then," said one of the recruits. In the gloom, Tonks couldn't make out who it was. "I say we all split up and look for the objective. Take out any guards you come across as quickly and silently as you can. We don't want to attract attention."

There were various murmurs of assent. Tons wasn't phased at all. She had thought she would probably end up on her own anyway, so this didn't bother her.

"Let's go. Remember; check your fire."

The group dispersed silently. Tonks slipped into an alley to her right, eyes constantly roving for any sign of movement. As she crept through an adjacent alley, she could see a robed and hooded figure up ahead. She pulled her wand from within her jacket.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

The figure's limbs snapped together and they fell forward, landing with a sickening _crunch_ as their nose shattered. Tonks winced; it had sounded incredibly loud in the quiet. However, she seemed to have gotten away with it; no one came to investigate the noise. She quickly stepped over the body, breaking a couple of fingers as she trod on the person's hand. Wanting to vacate the scene quickly, she darted down another alley, checking round every corner.

After fifteen minutes of wandering, she was sure she was getting closer. The Dark Magic Revealing Charm she had learnt when she had started her training was showing the Dark magic signature was getting stronger. Taking the next left, she walked down the alley, listening for footsteps or breathing, anything that might give her a clue as to what was waiting for her. Coming to yet another fork, she checked behind her for followers, but saw nothing. Taking a deep breath, she chose the left path.

Tonks peered cautiously round the corner, wand gripped tightly in her hand, ready to be raised at a moment's notice. Feeling assured the coast was clear, she rounded the corner, wand raised in a defensive stance. She was sure she was near the objective, and as no one had communicated otherwise, she was also sure she'd be the first one there as well.

She took a step forward, and the wall in front of her exploded outwards.

The force of the blast threw her off her feet, sending her flying into the wall behind her. Her hair came loose from it's ponytail as she slid down the wall, blinking rapidly, trying to clear the stars that had started circling her head. She quickly pushed her hair out of her face, not wanting her vision obscured just as three people in hooded cloaks came out of the hole in the wall. Tonks lay still, hoping that if she played dead, they would leave her alone.

"Is she dead?" one of them asked.

"I've no idea." said another.

"There's only one way to be sure." There was a brief pause. " _Avada Kedavra!_ "

Tonks rolled to the side as the jet of green light impacted against the wall where her head had been mere seconds ago, blasting a small crater in it.

"She's still alive! Get her!"

Tonks scrambled to her feet as another Killing Curse narrowly missed her. She sent a Stunner at one of her attackers and he crumpled to the floor. She ran forward, ducking and weaving through the steady stream of jinxes and curses that were sent her way, only deflecting the few that she couldn't avoid. One hit the other attacker and sent him flying into a doorway, which splintered as the man went sailing through it.

The final man looked completely unfazed by the fate of his two associates. He continued to send a barrage of spells at Tonks, forcing her to throw up a Shield Charm. She started throwing all manner of spells at the Dark wizard in front of her, trying desperately to break through his defences. But it was futile. The man seemed to know exactly what was coming, and blocked all her best efforts with ease, all the while continuing his assault.

Tonks could feel her energy fading. Every spell she sent was drawing on her bodily energy, and she could feel the Shield Charm flickering as well as it started to succumb to the onslaught. She couldn't last much longer.

Finally, her Shield Charm broke. A curse punctured through and hit her in the lower leg. She screamed in pain as she felt the bone snap and she crumpled to the ground, her wand rolling out of her hand. Her attacker was wearing a look of triumph as he stalked closer, realising that his prey was now completely helpless. He pointed his wand directly between her eyes.

Tonks was not afraid. She was the youngest recruit by far, and no-one had expected her to make it this far in Auror training to begin with. Her only thought was of Mad-Eye. She could imagine the look of disappointment on his face when he found out she had failed. That scared her more than death. Whatever was after death, it had to be better than life. But living, knowing she had disappointed the one person who had always believed in her . . .

Tonks stared defiantly at the wizard as he drew nearer, a sneer forming on his lips.

"Fool." he said softly. "You did not seriously think you could stand against us?" He gave a humourless chuckle as he looked down at her sprawled on the floor, clutching her leg. "So young, so vulnerable. It seems almost a shame to kill you, but I have my orders. You see, I, unlike you, am capable of completing a mission."

Tonks didn't say anything. She wasn't going to give this man any satisfaction. She watched as he pointed his wand directly at her.

There was a flash of light, but it did not come from the tip of the wand in her face. As she watched, the wizard seemed to freeze, before falling to the side, like a marionette after it's strings had been cut. In his place was one of the recruits, Rollins, Tonks realised, his wand still raised. He looked down at Tonks, his eyes widening as he saw the unnatural angle of her leg. Without a word, he knelt down beside her and surveyed her leg.

"This may hurt," he said, as he pointed his wand at the break. " _Tibium Emendo!_ "

Tonks grunted in pain as the bone in her leg snapped back together. She got carefully to her feet and tested the strength of her leg. To her surprise, it held up fairly well.

"Thanks," she said gratefully. Rollins simply shrugged.

"No problem."

There was an awkward silence as Tonks looked at the wizard on the ground.

"The objective is close," Rollins said, "just down there on the right. Not sure how we'll get in, though. It's pretty heavily guarded."

Tonks was still looking at the wizard, when an idea suddenly came to her. An idea that may just work.

As Rollins watched, Tonks looked the wizard all over, taking in every minute detail. After a couple of minutes, she stood up.

"If I disguise myself as him, I could get in." she said. "I'll take you along, say I found you wandering around. We get in, release the hostage and get out."

Rollins nodded.

"You know, that might actually work."

Tonks grinned, and started to remove the wizard's clothes. Well, she reasoned, it wasn't like he'd need them anymore. As soon as she was done, she turned to Rollins.

"Would you mind turning round?"

He did so, and Tonks stripped off her clothes quickly before donning the hooded robes.

"You can turn back around now."

Rollins turned and saw the wizard he had killed stood in front of him. It took a lot of self-control not to raise his wand. But when Tonks raised her wand against him, he couldn't help but flinch slightly.

"What are you doing?"

"I highly doubt they'd believe that you would cooperate and come along quietly. I'm going to put you in a Full Body Bind."

Rollins mentally berated himself for not thinking of it himself.

"Okay, sure, go ahead."

Tonks took in a breath.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

Rollins froze, and fell forward. Tonks jumped forward and caught him before he fell to the ground. Setting him down carefully, she pointed her wand at his prone body.

" _Mobilicorpus!_ "

Rollins' body levitated a few inches off the ground. Tonks checked around her, then, careful not to bash Rollins against any walls, set off toward the objective.

Rollins had been right; their objective was only around the corner. As Tonks approached, she could see one lone watchman leaning lazily against the doorframe. Pointing her wand at him, she sent a silent Stunner at him. The man crumpled to the floor as Tonks slipped through the door and into the safe-house.

The interior was hardly impressive. Bare grey paint dominated the walls and there were no forms of decoration to be seen. Tonks scanned around, checking the corners of the room for potential threats, but found none. At the far end of the room, she could just make out a staircase in the soft light of the sparse candles littering the room. She made her way quickly to the staircase, taking care to ensure the Rollins didn't injure himself as she floated him up the stairs.

She emerged in a large room, lit far more generously than the downstairs had been. At the far end of the room, she could see a man tied to a chair, surrounded by more people in black robes. He had a large gash down one side of his face and his clothes were splattered with crimson. Even though she knew he was only a projection, Tonks couldn't help but feel a little sorry for him. As she walked further into the room, one of the witches nudged a tall man, pointing at her. The man turned, taking in Rollins' floating body and the robes she was wearing.

"Ah, Shannis." His voice was unusually soft for such a large man. He had a beard that obscured much of his lower face, and his eyes were an icy blue. "Who is that?" he asked, nodding at Rollins.

"I found him skulking the alleys." Tonks said, in the same voice Shannis had spoken to her in. "I think he was here for the official." She released her hold on the spells binding Rollins and he fell to the floor. Tonks kept her wand pointed at his head, all the while sizing up the people in front of her. There were ten of them, not including the official. Not great odds, but that could work to the Auror recruits' advantage. Ten people could not fight alongside each other in such cramped conditions as effectively as they could if they were more spread out. They would be far more likely to hit each other.

The leader strode forward, looking at Rollins with disdain. Rollins stared back defiantly. The man snorted before turning back to the official. From his pocket, he withdrew a vicious-looking knife. This, Tonks supposed, was what had been used to give the official the cut on his face. One look at the official confirmed this theory; the fear in his eyes was plain to see.

"So, it seems you were right." the man said, addressing the official. "The Aurors did come for you. But obviously, they have failed." He turned to address Rollins. "You can tell your precious Ministry that this man will not be returning." He turned back to the official, raising the knife.

"Wait!" Tonks called out, desperate to stop the wizard from knifing their target. "I doubt there was only him. We should send people out to stop any others."

The leader paused, knife dangerously close to the hostage. Finally, he straightened up.

"You make a good point, Shannis." he said. "You five," he snapped, pointing at five of the witches and wizards gathered in the room. "go and kill any others." They all nodded and swept out of the room, drawing wands from their pockets. Tonks watched them go, taking the moment to slip Rollins' wand into his hand.

"Now," the bearded man said, turning back to the official, raising his knife. "to business."

Tonks didn't think. She raised her wand, pointing it at the leader.

" _Expelliarmus!_ "

The knife span out of his hand, flying across the room and embedding itself in another of the robed wizards. The man stared in shock, then turned to see Tonks and Rollins both pointing wands at him.

"Get them!"

Chaos erupted. Tonks threw up a Shield Charm around the Ministry official, protecting him from any errant spells. She ducked as a jet of black flew at her head, throwing a Stunning Spell in retaliation. She didn't have time to admire her handiwork, however, as another curse streaked past her left ear. On the other side of the room, Rollins was duelling two opponents at once, while the hostage, still tied to the chair, was looking on in abject terror.

Tonks quickly dropped another opponent before rushing over to Rollins to finish up. The duelling became fast and fierce, with neither side giving a quarter. Finally, a gap in their opponents' defences appeared, and the recruits struck, dropping the last two wizards with a couple of well-aimed Body Binds. Tonks dropped the shield around the Ministry official and wiped the sweat from her brow. Suddenly, Mad-Eye's voice rang out through the training arena.

" _Attention! The objective has been secured. The mission is complete. Prepare for extraction._ "

She barely had time to grin at Rollins and morph back to her original appearance before the blinding white light from earlier enveloped them. They reappeared in the antechamber, surrounded by Healers and the other recruits. Now that the adrenaline from the fighting was leaving her system, Tonks became aware of the nagging pain in her leg. She made a mental note to speak to a Healer as soon as possible.

Mad-Eye was casting his gaze over each of them. No-one spoke, waiting for their instructor to speak first.

"Williams! Hawthorne! Singh!" The three wizards jumped. "You all walked straight into an obvious trap. I have told everyone countless times to always be wary. CONSTANT VIGILANCE!"

The three wizards looked rather ashamed.

"You three have all failed this live fire training exercise. Hawthorne, you now do not have sufficient marks to continue this training program. You are dismissed."

The wizard looked like he was about to cry. Tonks could hardly blame him. They were so close to the end of their training; to be forced to leave now must be devastating. Mad-Eye now turned his attention to Tonks.

"That was some very impressive work in there, Tonks. Utilising your innate abilities to the full to get the job done. You receive full marks."

Tonks flushed with pride. She hadn't received full marks in anything since Concealment training eighteen months ago.

"Thank you."

Mad-Eye nodded.

"The rest of you have all passed this training exercise. If you require medical assistance, please see a Healer. Dismissed."

The recruits all filed out of the room. Mad-Eye gripped Tonks' shoulder as he passed. Just as she was about to go over to a Healer, Rollins stepped in front of her.

"You did good, Tonks." he said, offering his hand for Tonks to shake.

"Thank you." Tonks said, a small smile playing on her lips as she shook his hand.

"You'll make a great Auror one day." Rollins said, as he dropped his hand back to his side. "And if you ever need anything, you know where I am."

Tonks smiled.

"Again, thank you."

"Now, go and see a Healer about that leg."


	9. Dropping Divination

"This is ridiculous!"

Harry slammed his Divination book shut with a growl. Hermione jumped slightly and looked up from her Arithmancy essay.

"What is?"

"The entire subject of Divination." Harry said, sighing. "I thought it would be interesting, but so far it's proving useless." He sat in quiet contemplation for a moment. It was quickly becoming obvious that Divination would not help him in the long run. He would rather spend his time learning about something that would actually help him in the fight against Voldemort.

"Hermione, what's Arithmancy about?"

Hermione looked a little surprised at the question.

"It's about the magical properties of numbers and using them to predict the future." she said. Harry raised an eyebrow.

"So it's like Divination?" he asked, well aware of the open contempt Hermione held for Divination.

"Sort of," she said. "but it's a much more scientific approach, rather than the broad, sweeping statements that you use in Divination."

Harry didn't like the sound of that. It seemed all too similar to Divination, and that wasn't what he wanted.

"And Ancient Runes?"

"The study of runes and their translations and uses." came Hermione's prompt reply.

"The uses being?"

"Well, translating old books, curse-breaking, warding . . . "

"Warding?"

"Using Runes to imbue certain objects with magical properties." Hermione explained. "It's how Hogwarts is protected against magical attack."

 _That could be useful,_ Harry thought. He sat in silence for another moment, before standing up and tossing his books back into his bag, swinging it onto his shoulder.

"Where are you going?" Ron asked, speaking for the first time in the conversation.

"To talk to McGonagall," Harry said, straightening his robes. "I'm going to see if it's too late to drop Divination and pick up Ancient Runes."

For some reason, Hermione looked rather worried.

"I think it might be, Harry." she said. "We're already six weeks into term."

"If I don't ask, I won't know." Harry argued. "Ancient Runes sounds like it could help me in the fight against Voldemort. Trust me, I'll need all the help I can get."

Hermione opened her mouth to argue, but Ron cut across her.

"You're going to abandon me?"

"Drop it as well, then," Harry said, looking at his best friend. "You hate it as much as I do."

Ron looked down at his nearly-completed essay on palmistry, a dejected look in his eyes.

"I just spent an hour writing this . . . "

Hermione scoffed.

"Sorry, _who_ spent an hour writing that?"

Ron looked at her.

"Okay, you," he conceded. "Bill said Ancient Runes is really hard, though."

Hermione sighed exasperatedly. Harry, too, was annoyed, but did a much better job of hiding the fact.

"It's your choice, Ron. But I'm dropping it."

"So am I." Hermione said, standing up. Harry looked at her in surprise.

"You're going to drop it as well?"

Hermione shrugged.

"I probably would have dropped it anyway," she said. "I may as well do it now."

Harry looked between both of his friends.

"We'd better go now, then. Come on, it won't take long. Ron?"

Ron looked between the two of them, then down at his textbook. He seemed to be contemplating something.

"I'll see you guys in a minute."

Harry nodded, waiting as Hermione packed away her various pieces of homework before leading her out of the common room, nodding a greeting to Seamus as he clambered through the portrait hole. Once in the corridor, Harry turned to her.

"Come on, I know a shortcut."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Hermione rushed along the secret passageway Harry had led them down, feeling slightly less worried than she had before. So far, the Time-Turner she had been given had worked wonders. She could get to all her classes and use it for extra time to finish all her homework. And as all her elective classes were at the same time, she didn't have to worry about people seeing her in two different classes at the same time.

Harry's decision to drop Divination was the closest she had come to being caught out. If Ron had conceded in dropping Divination, there would be no way to take Divination and Ancient Runes concurrently. As Ron had decided not to drop it, that also meant that she had to drop it as well, otherwise, questions would be asked, questions that she couldn't answer.

She scoffed slightly under her breath. It was, she supposed, typical of Ron. Divination seemed rather a soft choice, compared to the hard graft that came with studying Ancient Runes. She had to admit, she was very impressed with Harry's work ethic since the summer. His training with Dumbledore was doing wonders for his attitude toward his school work, and it showed. She hadn't helped him write a single essay thus far that year, and his grades were improving as a result. She felt a little smug as she remembered all the times she had pestered the two boys about the importance of homework.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ah, Mr Potter, Miss Granger." Professor McGonagall looked up from her desk as Harry and Hermione entered her office. "To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Hermione seemed unusually withdrawn, so Harry took the lead.

"We were wondering if we could drop Divination?"

Professor McGonagall fixed Harry with a piercing stare.

"I'm sure that won't be a problem, although you will have to take up another subject."

"What about Hermione?" Harry asked.

"I daresay Miss Granger has plenty of subjects to be getting along with." McGonagall said, looking pointedly at Hermione, whose cheeks took on a slight pink tinge.

"I was thinking about taking up Ancient Runes." Harry said. McGonagall smiled slightly.

"Ah, yes. A most interesting and rewarding subject, if I do say so myself. That should not be a problem." McGonagall looked at Harry. "May I ask why you have taken this decision?"

"Well," Harry said, wondering how much Dumbledore had told the Transfiguration professor. "I've been taking the class for six weeks now, and I don't think it's really my thing. I'd rather take a subject that is interesting, as well as practical."

Professor McGonagall looked rather impressed.

"Of course. I shall speak to Professor Babbling this evening. If there is nothing else I can help you with, you may return to the Gryffindor common room."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Ice Mice."

The stone gargoyle sprang to the side and Harry made his way up the spiral staircase toward Dumbledore's office. Upon reaching the door of Dumbledore's office, Harry raised his hand to knock, but paused, hand still in mid-air. He could hear voices on the other side. He dropped his hand and leant closer to the door, straining to hear what was going on inside.

"...will not stand for incompetent teachers!"

The door was muffling the sound, but Harry was sure that the voice belonged to Lucius Malfoy. Harry had few doubts what he was angry about. During their first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Hagrid had taught them how to handle Hippogriffs. Malfoy had completely ignored Hagrid's warnings about the imperativeness of being polite to the creatures, and had his arm slashed by the hippogriff, Buckbeak, as a result. For the last six weeks, he had been gloating about how his father would have Hagrid sacked over it.

"Lucius, I have spoken to Hagrid about this, as well as several students. None of the students seem to find Hagrid's teaching incompetent."

The calm tones of Dumbledore's voice was a stark contrast to the raised, angry tones that the Malfoy patriarch was using.

"That is not the point I am making! The point is that any competent teacher would not teach about hippogriffs to a third year class!" There was a pause, and Harry could just about hear the rustle of parchment. "This is a summons to a trial from the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." There was a _thwack!_ It seemed that Malfoy had slammed the parchment down on Dumbledore's desk. "If you won't sack that oaf, I can at least take comfort in the knowledge that the creature in question will not be a threat to any others. Good day."

Footsteps sounded on the other side of the door. Harry hastily backed away as the door flew open, bouncing off the wall with a loud bang. Lucius Malfoy stood in the threshold, clad in a long, black travelling cloak, his blonde hair tied back, clutching the cane that Harry now knew concealed his wand. He glared at Harry with a look of utmost contempt in his eyes. Harry held his gaze, refusing to be intimidated. Lucius sniffed derisively, before stalking away down the spiral staircase. Harry waited until he could no longer hear the man, then pushed the door open.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, reading the parchment Lucius had left, his brow furrowed. He looked up as the door creaked open.

"Ah, Harry. Please, take a seat." Dumbledore waved his hand at the door, which swung closed. Harry looked amazed, having never seen such a feat of magic before. He had always assumed that a wand was always required to perform magic.

"How did you do that?"

"Through a lot of hard work. I will teach you how to perform wandless magic, if you so desire, but not for at least a couple of years. It is not a very accessible branch of magic." He placed the parchment to one side.

"I have spoken to Professor Lupin about procuring a Boggart. As I understand it, he introduced one to you for your first Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson."

"Yes, sir."

"A pity that you were unable to face it. It would have been helpful to know what your Boggart is."

"You mean for learning how to fight Dementors?"

"Yes."

Harry was silent. He hated not knowing what a Boggart would turn into were he ever faced with one, but a small part of him didn't want to know. Some of his classmates' Boggarts had given more insight into them than he was wholly comfortable with. Pushing the thought aside, he gestured at the parchment.

"What will happen to Hagrid and Buckbeak?"

Dumbledore sighed.

"Lucius Malfoy holds a lot of sway with the Ministry. He has donated generously for years, and has many high-ranking officials right in his pocket. Normally, there would be appeals, but Lucius has been busy pulling a lot of strings behind the scenes. Hagrid should be fine; parents know that sending their children to Hogwarts is a risk, with so many young witches and wizards running around. I am afraid I cannot say the same for Buckbeak. Lucius has called for a formal trial, and the execution of Buckbeak."

Harry gazed around helplessly. _If only there was a way to show them that it was all Malfoy's fault..._

His eye fell on the alcove in which Dumbledore stored the Pensieve. _Show them..._

"Sir?"

"Harry?"

"Does the Ministry use Pensieves in trials?"

"In a way. They have to be sure that memories have not been tampered with, so they use Judicial Pensieves. They are crafted in such a way that modified memories will not be accepted. Why do you ask?"

"I was in that lesson. What if I put forward my memories as testimony? They'd see it was Malfoy's fault that he got injured, not Hagrid's, or Buckbeak's."

Dumbledore looked at Harry with a hint of surprise in his face.

"I... don't see why not."

Harry smiled as a wave of relief crashed over him.

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore smiled over the desk at him.

"Not at all, my dear boy. Now, this evening, I want to teach you the Blasting Curse and the Expulsion Curse. While the word 'curse' does carry negative connotations with it, these are common spells amongst duellists, and I'm sure you'll find them useful..."


	10. The Hippogriff Trial

"Professor Dumbledore? He's waking up."

Harry groaned as he slowly cracked his eyes open. His head was pounding, feeling like a Bludger was bouncing around the inside of his skull. He was dressed in his Quidditch robes, thought they felt stiff, as though they had been soaked, and then dried with magic, rather than naturally. Looking around, he immediately recognised the room as the hospital wing, having been there a few times in the last couple of years. Crowded around his bed wasthe entire Gryffindor Quidditch team, Ron, Hermione, and Professors Dumbledore, McGonagall, Lupin and Snape, as well as Madam Pomfrey.

"Harry!" Hermione's voice was full of both relief and worry. "How are you feeling?"

"Terrible." Harry said, wincing slightly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position in the bed. "What happened?"

"You don't remember?" Ron asked concernedly.

"I remember the match." Harry said. "It was raining. I was chasing the Snitch, climbing. I remember the Dementors, then nothing." He shivered slightly as he remembered the unnatural chill that had swept across the grounds. Remembered the Dementors swooping out of the clouds. Remembered the screaming of a woman, ringing in his ears...

"Lucky you." Fred said. "You fell off your broom, mate. Must have been nearly a hundred feet."

Harry's mouth fell open. He didn't remember falling, and assumed that he must have passed out, though he didn't remember that, either.

"What happened after I fell?" Harry asked.

"Professor Snape arrested your fall." McGonagall said. Harry glanced at Snape, whose face was stoic, impassive. "Meanwhile, Professor Dumbledore and Professor Lupin drove the Dementors from the stadium." She sighed deeply, shaking her head. "Terrible creatures. They should never have been allowed anywhere near Hogwarts."

At this point, Madam Pomfrey decided to interject, "All right, you've all seen him. The boy needs rest. Out with you, all of you."

"If you would permit me, Poppy, I would like a quick word with Harry. In private." Dumbledore said, looking at the matron. Madam Pomfrey frowned, though obviously decided against arguing with the headmaster.

"Very well. But only a couple of minutes. The rest of you, out you go."

"We'll come by later, mate." Ron promised, as Madam Pomfrey shepherded the group out of the Hospital Wing. Harry nodded and waited as Dumbledore pulled a seat up, sitting in it, his face telling the entire story.

"Harry, I am so sorry." he said. "I had hoped the Dementors would have stayed at the entrances to the grounds, as per my instructions. Evidently, the high emotions at the Quidditch game were too much of a temptation. I not only endangered you, but every student here, and for that, I can never apologise enough."

"Did Professor Snape really break my fall?" Harry asked, finding it hard to believe that the man who seemed to loathe him more than anyone, the man who sent Voldemort after his family, would be the one to save him.

"He did." Dumbledore said. "I know the two of you have a strong dislike for each other, but he does try to protect you, in his own way. I do not expect the two of you to be best of friends, and neither do I expect you to completely forgive him, after what he did to you and your family, but such resentment will not help anyone in the days to come."

Harry nodded, though he couldn't begin to fathom how he ever even be able to begin to forgive Snape, the man who, arguably, set his life on a one-way path, one that, to Harry, seemed only to lead to certain death.

"How many Dementors were there, if it took you and Professor Lupin to drive them away?" Harry asked.

"Many, although I am confident I would have been able to deal with them on my own, if you will forgive my lack of humility. Professor Lupin was very quick on the draw." Dumbledore sighed. "Professor Lupin is a very gifted wizard. He was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, and a very good friend of your parents." Harry looked up at this. "Perhaps, should you get the chance, you should talk with him. I'm sure he could tell you many tales of your parents' exploits here at Hogwarts."

Harry nodded, his stomach clenching in anticipation. He had heard many stories of his parents, but surely the best stories would come from someone ery close to them.

"I will, sir. Definitely."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Four weeks later, Harry was following Dumbledore through the Atrium of the Ministry of Magic, heading toward what seemed to be lifts at the far end. The Atrium was a magnificent place. Black marble covered most surfaces, and the middle of the Atrium was dominated by a large golden fountain. Witches and wizards rushed about, clutching briefcases or the morning edition of the _Daily Prophet_. Harry could just make out Hagrid standing by the lifts over the sea of people, and clutched the vial containing his memory of the Care of Magical Creatures class in his pocket more tightly.

"Mornin', Harry, Professor Dumbledore, sir."

Up close, Harry could see a distinct look of worry about Hagrid. His hands were shoved deep into his pockets, and he was shuffling his enormous feet.

"Good morning, Hagrid." Dumbledore said, gesturing to an empty lift. "Shall we?"

Hagrid nodded, and led the way into the lift, squeezing his massive frame in and leaving just enough room for Harry and Dumbledore to join him. Dumbledore pressed a button on the wall and the grate slid shut. There was a sudden jerking motion, and the lift started its slow movement through the Ministry.

"Thanks fer doin' this, Harry." Hagrid said. Harry turned around as best he could to face him.

"It's no problem, Hagrid. You and Buckbeak are innocent. You're my oldest friend, you rescued me from the Dursleys and told me everything I should have been told by my Aunt and Uncle; it's the least I can do."

Hagrid opened his mouth to respond, when the lift jerked to a halt, the grate sliding back.

"Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures." came a soft, musical voice.

"Here we are." Dumbledore said, leading the way out of the lift. Harry and Hagrid both followed. Dumbledore led them down a long hallway, before stopping in front of a large, rather imposing door. He raised his hand and knocked.

The door swung back to reveal a short, balding wizard in robes of deep red. He was almost as round as he was short, giving Harry the impression of an oversized Quaffle. He bit his lip to keep from smiling. The wizard glanced at each of them before speaking.

"Good morning Professor, Mr Hagrid." His eyes flicked back to Harry. "This is a private trial. No public admittance."

"Actually, Harry is here to offer eye-witness testimony for the defence." Dumbledore said pleasantly. The wizard looked Harry up and down.

"Very well, in you come." He stepped back, allowing them across the threshold.

The room Harry found himself in was rather large, the stone walls and floor illuminated by torches burning in brackets at regular intervals along the walls. Along the back wall was a table, at which sat three men, one of which was Lucius Malfoy. The other two walls were filled with seats, sitting in which were various witches, wizards and goblins, all in the same red robes as the man who had greeted them. None of them looked even remotely welcoming. All in all, Harry thought it seemed a rather dismal and depressing place to work.

"Now that the counsel for the defence is here, we may begin."

The speaker was an elderly wizard in black robes, seated next to Lucius Malfoy. Harry thought he could see a look of smugness flit across Malfoy's face. Clearly, he thought this was an open and shut case.

"We are gathered today to examine the charges brought against one Rubeus Hagrid and the hippogriff, Buckbeak, hereafter referred to as 'the accused', by one Lucius Malfoy. The charges are as follows; the unprovoked attack by the accused on a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and unsatisfactory and incompetent teaching methods. How do you respond?"

The wizard spoke in a very long, drawn out, almost tired way, making his sentences seem twice as long as they really were.

"Not guilty."

"I call upon the counsel for the prosecution to make his statement. Mr Malfoy, if you please."

Lucius Malfoy got slowly to his feet, smirking at Hagrid and Dumbledore.

"On Tuesday, 2nd September, 1993, my son, Draco Malfoy, was attacked during a class by a hippogriff, a Class 3 creature, deemed as such by this very committee. This attack was unprovoked, and resulted in my son's arm being heavily bandaged for several weeks, meaning he had to miss out on participating in a Quidditch game as well as numerous practice sessions, amongst other activities. This attack has had a serious effect of my son's psychological well-being."

Harry snorted slightly. If anything, Malfoy had been even more arrogant than before after the incident.

"I therefore call for the immediate execution of the creature in question, the removal of Mr Hagrid from his position as Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts and a vote of no confidence in Professor Dumbledore's ability as Headmaster of Hogwarts."

"It is not within this committee's power to remove Albus Dumbledore or Rubeus Hagrid from their positions at Hogwarts. If you wish, you may bring a private prosecution against the Professors."

Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who looked completely unfazed by Lucius' declaration. Hagrid, however, didn't quite have the same confidence as Dumbledore.

"Might I remind you, Lucius, that Class 3 is defined as "able to be handled by a competent wizard." That does not make Buckbeak a dangerous creature." Dumbledore said, smiling serenely at Lucius, whose face contorted slightly. "I have spoken to Mr Potter here, who was present at the lesson in question. He has assured me that it was due to Mr Malfoy's actions that the accused reacted adversely."

"And we are to accept the word of a thirteen year old wizard, who is a known associate of Hagrid and is also known to harbour ill feeling toward my family?" Lucius said, sneering at Harry.

Harry met Lucius' gaze evenly as he answered, withdrawing the vial from his pocket.

"Not at all. This is my memory of the event. I suggest that the court view this memory in a Judicial Pensieve, and to make their decision on that evidence."

Malfoy glared at Harry, but there still a slight hint of arrogance and smugness in his eyes.

"Of course. Raston, please fetch the Judicial Pensieve from the store."

The short wizard that had greeted them shuffled away through a door near the back of the room. The silence that followed felt awkward and forced, but Harry continued to stare down Lucius Malfoy, neither man nor boy giving an inch.

A few short minutes later, Raston reappeared, a large silver basin levitating in front of him, floating to the middle of the room. The silence continued as the basin was set down.

"Mr Potter, are you aware of the use of a Judicial Pensieve?" the Head of the Committee asked.

"Would I have asked to present my memories in it if I didn't?" Harry said, trying to sound respectful and not condescending. It wouldn't help their case if he irked the head of the committee. "I know what they do, but I don't pretend to understand how they work."

The wizard smiled.

"Very well, Mr Potter. Please, empty the vial into the Pensieve."

Harry walked forward, unstoppering the vial as he went. He could feel the eyes of everyone present boring into him. He upended the vial over the Pensieve, watching as the silvery substance poured out into the basin below. Raston moved forward and waved his wand over the basin. Harry couldn't hear what he was muttering, but the basin's contents began to glow, brighter and brighter until the entire room was filled with its light. There was a flash, and where the Pensieve had been was Hagrid and Buckbeak, surrounded by the third year class.

Harry didn't watch the events unfold; he had, after all, been there at the time, and instead turned his attention to the the rest of the Committee. They were watching the class with a mixture of apprehension and anticipation on their faces. Many were leant forward in their seats, trying to get a closer look. The head of the committee was watching with an unreadable expression on his face. Lucius Malfoy was once again glaring at Harry, though he seemed a lot less confident as the memory progressed. Everyone watched as Hagrid explained what hippogriffs were and his warnings to always be polite. They watched as Harry demonstrated how to handle Buckbeak, and they watched as Malfoy barged forward and insulted Buckbeak, blatantly ignoring Hagrid's prior warnings. There was another flash of light, and the environment began to dissolve. A few moments later, they were back in the courtroom.

The room broke out into quiet muttering as the committee started conferring with each other. Harry took the moment to look at Hagrid, who seemed to have relaxed slightly, having seen the events in full. He gave Harry a small smile, which Harry returned before the committee head raised his hand for silence.

"Based on the evidence we have seen here today, this Committee has decided that the actions of Draco Malfoy were provocative toward the accused."

Lucius opened his mouth to argue, but the committee head cut him off.

"Your son's blatant disregard for the safety measures as set out by Mr Hagrid put himself and his classmates in danger. Your son's injury is by his own fault, and not the accused's. Your petition for the execution of the accused is denied."

Harry couldn't help but grin. He looked over at Hagrid, who was positively beaming. Dumbledore chuckled at the look on Hagrid's face, while Malfoy looked almost apoplectic with rage.

"I still maintain that the lesson was well beyond the abilities of third years! I demand that you remove this oaf from his position!"

The head looked over at Hagrid, whose smile was faltering now, before looking back to Lucius.

"I could find no fault with Mr Hagrid's teaching methods. However, if it may appease you, I shall assign a Committee-approved supervisor to oversee Care of Magical Creatures lessons until Christmas."

Malfoy glared at the committee head, but said nothing.

"We shall retain Mr Potter's memory as evidence. Committee adjourned."

There was a great clattering of chairs as the various committee members rose to their feet. Lucius Malfoy was the first to leave, shouldering his way through the crowd. Harry, Hagrid and Dumbledore quietly made their way to the door, eager to be away before they could be confronted by anyone.

As soon as the door swung shut behind them, Hagrid pulled Harry into an almost bear-like hug. Dumbledore chuckled as Harry barely managed to get his arm around Hagrid to pat him on the back.

"Thanks fer tha', Harry." Hagrid said gruffly, releasing Harry and wiping the corner of his eye. Harry merely nodded, having had the wind knocked out of him by the force of Hagrid's hug.

Dumbledore glanced at his pocket watch.

"We'd better be getting back. I'm sure Harry has plenty of studying to be getting on with."

He led them back down the corridor and into the lift. He pushed the button and the lift once again began it's slow journey back to the Atrium.

"Well, I must say that turned out a lot better than we could have hoped for." Dumbledore said. "Particularly in regard to the supervision of Care of Magical Creatures."

"What about Mr Malfoy trying to get you sacked?" Harry asked. He was beginning to wonder why Dumbledore seemed so blasé about it.

"Oh, Lucius holds very little power now." Dumbledore said. "I doubt he'll get the support he needs, particularly when these events come to light in the wider community."

The lift clanged to a halt in the Atrium. Dumbledore led the way out and across the Atrium to the Floo fireplaces. As they walked, a pink haired witch rushed past them, muttering to herself. Harry caught the words "dammit", "Mad-Eye", and "late again".

Dumbledore picked up a pot of powder from a grate and offered it to Harry and Hagrid, both of whom took a handful with slight trepidation.

"After you, Harry." Dumbledore said, smiling. Harry nervously stepped into the fireplace.

"Hogwarts!"

There was a roar of green flame, and he was gone.


	11. Expecto Patronum!

Harry stumbled as he fell out of the grate in Dumbledore's office. He quickly dusted himself off and straightened his robes. A few moments later, there was a flash of green fire and the wizened old headmaster stepped neatly out of the grate. Harry waited a few moments, but Hagrid never followed.

"Sir, how's Hagrid getting back?"

"Hagrid is making his own way back, but he has to stop in Diagon Alley first." Dumbledore said, dusting the soot off of his robes. Harry nodded, then started as he felt a presence nudging at the edge of his conscience. Immediately, he slammed up his Occlumency barriers, barring access to the intruder.

Dumbledore nodded approvingly.

"Very good, Harry."

The tendril disappeared and Harry let out a breath.

"Thank you, sir."

"Well, my boy, if there is nothing else, I suggest you get back to your studies."

Harry paused for a second.

"Well, there was one thing..."

Dumbledore smiled kindly.

"Go on."

"During the Quidditch match, when the Dementors attacked..." Dumbledore's face hardened, but made no comment. "I heard Voldemort, killing my parents."

Dumbledore nodded sadly.

"As I have said before, Dementors force us to relive our very worst memories, feeding on the negative emotions we feel as a result."

"Yes, sir. It's just... that was one of the most frightening things I've experienced."

Dumbledore said nothing, examining Harry.

"I believe," he said slowly. "that we may have an answer to our Boggart problem."

Harry's head snapped up.

"Really?"

Dumbledore smiled, nodding.

"Allow me to speak to Professor Lupin about procuring a Boggart. I shall contact you as soon as I am able."

Harry let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you, sir."

"Not at all, not at all. Now, you had best get to the Gryffindor common room. No doubt Mr Weasley and Miss Granger will be dying to know how Hagrid got on."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"So? How'd Hagrid get on?"

Ron and Hermione leant forward anxiously in their chairs. Harry smiled.

"Buckbeak got off."

Ron and Hermione both let out noises of elation, causing Harry to give a small laugh.

"That's brilliant!" Ron said.

"Also, Malfoy's dad tried to get Dumbledore fired," Harry started.

"WHAT?!"

"I doubt that'll happen. He tried last year, and it didn't work. He holds even less authority this year, so I'm pretty confident Dumbledore is here to stay."

Hermione seemed to relax, but Ron's face said otherwise.

"I don't know, mate. Malfoy's dad has deep pockets."

"Dumbledore's done nothing wrong." Harry countered. "Malfoy'll have to dig real deep to find something to convict him of."

"If you say so." Ron said, begrudgingly turning his attention back to his Divination essay. As he had decided to continue with the subject, Hermione had absolutely refused to help him with his homework in that subject, and Harry had enough to worry about besides helping Ron do his homework.

"Dumbledore reckons he can start teaching me to defend myself against Dementors." Harry said. Hermione looked up in interest.

"Really?"

"Yeah. He's gonna speak to Lupin about borrowing the Boggart he used in that first Defence lesson."

"But you didn't face it." Ron said uncertainly. "How do you know it'll change into a Dementor?"

"Truthfully, I don't." Harry admitted. "But when those Dementors attacked me during that Quidditch match, I heard..." He stopped abruptly.

"Yes?" Hermione pressed gently. Harry took in a breath.

"I heard Voldemort killing my mum."

Hermione clapped her hands over her mouth.

"Oh, Harry..."

"What if the Boggart turns into Voldemort?" Ron asked.

"It won't. It's hard to explain, but I don't know if the Dementor frightens me because it can make me hear that, or if deep down, I _want_ to hear that."

"What? Why would you want to hear that?"

"It's all I have of my parents, Ron." Harry replied. "I have no memories of them, none! That's the only way I can hear them again."

"Did you tell this to Dumbledore?" Hermione asked. Harry shook his head. "Well, you should!"

"I know I should," Harry said. "but I don't want to. If it helps me to learn how to defend myself against a Dementor, what does it matter? I won't hear them again anyway."

"I don't know, Harry," Hermione said carefully. "It sounds like you're justifying not learning how to defend against Dementors."

"I'm not!" Harry said hotly. "I don't even know if that's what frightens me about them! You don't understand! You both have your parents! I don't have any, and nothing to remember them by!"

"How can you say that?!" Hermione exclaimed. "Remember what Dumbledore told you at the end of our first year? Your mum died to save you, and her love runs through your veins! You have your dad's appearance, and your mum's eyes! You are their walking legacy!"

Harry rose to his feet.

"I'm not sitting here and putting up with this. I'll see you later." He spun on his heel and stomped up the stairs to the boys' dormitory.

Ron and Hermione exchanged perplexed looks.

"What the bloody hell was that about?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry made his way down to the Great Hall for breakfast the next day alone. His anger from the previous day had abated somewhat overnight, and in its place was a profound feeling of shame.

He slid into a seat opposite Ron and Hermione at the Gryffindor table and began piling food onto his plate.

"Listen, I'm sorry about yesterday." Harry said, looking across the table at his two best friends. "I don't know what came over me."

Hermione leant over the table and patted his arm.

"It's okay, Harry."

Harry opened his mouth to reply, but was interrupted by the screeching and flapping associated with the arrival of the morning post. A large tawny owl dropped a note in front of Harry before flying away again. Placing his knife and fork on his plate, Harry picked up the note, and immediately recognised the neat, flowing script of Dumbledore's handwriting. Opening the letter, he read it quickly.

 _Harry,_

 _I have managed to acquire a Boggart. We shall begin your instruction on Thursday evening. Please read up on the Patronus Charm before then, you will find it most helpful._

 _Yours,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

Harry folded up the note and placed it in his pocket.

"Dumbledore's going to start teaching me the Patronus Charm on Thursday."

"The Patronus Charm?" Hermione asked.

"Yes."

"But that's well beyond Ordinary Wizarding Level! Most adults can't do that!"

"Most adults didn't have Dumbledore teaching them personally." Harry replied.

"He makes a good point, Hermione." Ron reasoned. Hermione sighed.

"Fine. I'll go to the library with you lunchtime. I want to find out more about this Patronus Charm."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Thursday evening found Harry ascending the spiral staircase to Dumbledore's office. He knocked and pushed the door open.

Dumbledore's office looked very different to the last time Harry had been here. The spindle-legged tables had been moved to the sides of the room, leaving a large, clear space in the middle of the floor. Against the desk rested a large, ornate chest that seemed to rattle slightly. The Headmaster himself was standing next to it.

"Ah, Harry. Good evening."

"Good evening, sir."

"I trust you are ready to begin?" Harry nodded. "Excellent! First, I want to make sure you understand what you are about to learn." Dumbledore pulled his wand from within his robes. Raising it, he pointed it into a corner of the room. " _Expecto Patronum!_ "

A large, silvery phoenix burst from the end of his wand. It flew around the room three times before dissolving into nothing.

"Tell me what you have read about the Patronus Charm."

Harry cleared his throat.

"The Patronus Charm is a shield that protects the caster from a Dementor or Lethifold. A happy memory is used to fuel the spell, so that the Dementor feeds on the Patronus, rather than the wizard."

Dumbledore nodded, smiling.

"Very good. One small error, though, and not at all your fault. The energy does not necessarily have to come from a happy memory; that is a common misconception. As Dementors feed on all positive emotions, any positive emotion will suffice."

"Then why do most people assume that only happy memories work?" Harry asked.

"The most common effect that people associate with Dementors is the lack of happiness, hence the misconception. The most powerful positive emotion is love, pure, unadulterated love. This kind of love is powerful enough to defeat any number of Dementors."

"I see." Harry said.

"We will practise the incantation before I let the Boggart out." Dumbledore continued. "Repeat after me: _Expecto Patronum._ "

" _Expecto Patronum_."

"Very good. A Patronus can take many different forms. To begin with, I shall teach you the basic Patronus Shield. Have you ever heard of Intention Theory?"

Harry shook his head.

"Only a little, in the book you gave me over the summer."

"Intention Theory states that a spell's effect can differ depending on the intention of the caster." Dumbledore explained. "For example, a simple Stunning Spell can knock someone out, throw them backwards or can be used as an area-effect spell to clear large rooms, a practice common within the Ministry's Auror Office, I'm told.

"The same is true of the Patronus Charm. You can create a shield, if your willpower is strong enough you can create a pulse, or you can create the image of an animal, known as a corporeal Patronus. Many wizards do this subconsciously, without ever being taught about Intention Theory."

"That's a lot of stuff to do at once." Harry commented. Dumbledore chuckled.

"There have been studies conducted by the Department of Mysteries that have shown that witches and wizards skilled in Occlumency and Legilimency have a greater aptitude for utilising Intention Theory. It would appear that great mental discipline can separate good wizards from great ones."

"Is that another reason why you started teaching me Occlumency?" Harry asked. Dumbledore nodded.

"I'll admit that was one of the reasons, though the primary purpose is to shield your mind. But we appear to be getting off track. Take out your wand and practise the incantation."

Harry pulled his wand from his pocket and held it out in front of him.

" _Expecto Patronum_!" Nothing. " _Expecto Patronum_!" Nothing. " _Expecto Patronum_!"

A thin, silvery mist escaped from the tip of his wand.

"Something happened!" Harry said excitedly.

"Very good." Dumbledore said, smiling. "Keep trying."

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

The mist appeared again, slightly stronger than before. Harry continued reciting the incantation, the mist thickening each time.

After a few minutes, Dumbledore held up his hand.

"Excellent, Harry! Really excellent! This time, I want you to will the mist into a shield. How it looks will depend on your expectation of what the shield will look like."

Harry nodded, tightening his grip on his wand.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

This time, the mist left the tip of his wand and expanded in front of him, a large shimmering shield erupting from the point of his wand, rolling in waves to the outer edge. Dumbledore smiled proudly as Harry gazed in wonder at the shield.

"Really, very well done, Harry!" Dumbledore said, clapping his hands together as Harry let the spell go. "Ready to try it for real?"

Harry nodded, full to the brim with confidence. Dumbledore waved his hand at the chest. There was the sound of locks sliding back, and the lid opened.

A Dementor rose out of the chest, tall, black and hooded, sucking in a long, rattling breath. The candles around the room extinguished themselves and the temperature seemed to have dropped twenty degrees. The screaming from the Quidditch match filled Harry's ears and he retightened his grip on his wand.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

The thin mist hissed from the end of his wand. It hung lazily in the air before dissipating. The screaming started to get louder.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

The mist barely managed to leave his wand.

" _Expecto – Expec-to – Expec..._ "

The Dementor drew closer, and the world faded to black.

The next thing Harry knew, he was on his back in the middle of Dumbledore's office. The candles had been relit, and warmth was returning to the room.

"Are you okay, Harry?"

Dumbledore put his hand around Harry's arm and helped him to his feet.

"Sorry." he mumbled.

"Nonsense, Harry. The fact that you were able to produce anything at all speaks volumes to your determination and willpower." The headmaster broke off a piece of chocolate from a bar and handed it to Harry. "Eat this, and we'll try again."

Harry took a bite of the chocolate, and immediately felt warmth radiating through him.

"Thanks."

He finished the piece of chocolate and retook his place in the centre of the room.

"This time, Harry," Dumbledore said. "try to remember how you felt when you managed to create the shield. See if that helps."

Harry nodded.

"Let's do it."

Dumbledore waved his hand and seconds later, Harry was once again face to face with the Boggart-Dementor. He forced himself to remember the feelings of elation and excitement that had coursed through him, but the Boggart-Dementor made it extremely difficult to do so.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

A thick, silvery mist hissed from the tip of his wand and hung in front of the Dementor. It pushed against the mist, but found no way through it. The screaming that had started in Harry's ears began to soften.

"Excellent, Harry!" Dumbledore shouted. "Keep going!"

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

The mist thickened and expanded.

" _Expecto Patronum_!"

This time, the mist formed itself into a bowl-like shape, encircling the Dementor and pushing it back. Harry forced himself forward, pushing the Dementor back as he did so. Sweat was pouring from his forehead, and his limbs were becoming heavier and heavier. He could hear Dumbledore laughing in delight and approval and forced himself forward, pushing the Dementor back into the chest. As soon as the Dementor was hovering over the chest, Harry forced his wand downward. The Dementor began to fold inward, desperate to avoid the confines of the chest. Dumbledore rushed forward and slammed the lid of the chest shut, trapping the Boggart back inside.

Harry slammed to his knees in front of the chest, panting with exhaustion, sweat running off his brow. Dumbledore was beaming.

"Bravo, Harry!" he said, clapping Harry on the shoulder, who smiled weakly. "Really, very impressive!"

"I think that's enough for one night, sir." Harry said, wiping his brow with his sleeve.

"I agree." The headmaster snapped off a larger piece of chocolate and handed it to Harry, who immediately took a large bite. "I think we should resume this next Thursday. You may by all means read up on the Patronus and Intention Theory, but I must ask that you refrain from trying to cast it again until next Thursday. As you have no doubt noticed, a Patronus takes an extraordinary amount of energy to sustain."

"You got that right." Harry muttered. Dumbledore chuckled.

"Indeed. If there is nothing else you wish to discuss, I suggest you go and get some rest."

Harry paused, an internal conflict raging. He could hear Hermione's words echoing around his mind. _Did you tell this to Dumbledore?_

"No, sir, nothing."

"Very well, my dear boy. Good night, and well done."

-x-x-x-x-x-

As soon as the door swung shut behind Harry, Dumbledore sat himself down in his chair and let out a sigh. The boy had made fantastic progress, far more than he should have in one night. It was certainly intriguing. But there was something he wasn't telling him.

He stroked his beard thoughtfully. No, if Harry didn't want to tell him, he wouldn't push for the details. When he was ready, Harry would tell him, of that he was sure.


	12. Moments in Time

The back streets of Hogsmeade were worlds apart from the clean, bustling village that was visited by wizarding folk from all over the country. The streets were dark and a perpetual stench of sewage hung in the air. Rats scurried from shadow to shadow, and the inhabitants kept their faces concealed under hoods and other items of clothing. As far as the eye could see, windows were boarded up and doors hung from their hinges, the contents of the buildings long removed by many a dishonest hand.

Sirius Black pulled his cloak tighter around himself and yanked his hood down further, casting his entire face in shadow. He could feel the unnatural chill of Dementors, and shivered slightly. He hurried down an alley, fingering the hilt of the stolen wand in his pocket. He needed to eat, and soon. He cast another look around himself, but saw no sign of his prey. Sighing in disappointment, he retreated into the shadow of an old shop doorway, sliding down to the grimy floor below.

For twenty minutes he sat there, thinking and planning. Finally, he reached a decision. If the rat wouldn't come to him, he would go to the rat.

He never saw the young witch putting the cat out. But she saw him.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry groaned in pain as he pushed himself off the floor of Dumbledore's office for what felt like the millionth time. He picked up his wand and brushed himself off.

"I can't do it."

Dumbledore simply peered at him over the top of his glasses.

"You did it before."

"Once."

"That is still once more than any other wizard your age."

"I know, but..." He sank into a chair, stowing his wand. "Why can't I do it all of a sudden?"

Dumbledore slid into his own seat.

"The first time you performed the Patronus charm, you were experiencing a huge wave of positive emotions. You need to try and reconnect with those emotions."

"How?"

"You need something just as emotional. What that is, I cannot say; that is for you to discover." Dumbledore rubbed his face wearily. "I think it best if you don't continue with this charm for the moment. Your frustration is starting to work against the charm, making results even harder to obtain. Let's try something else."

Harry leaned forward in his chair.

"What did you have in mind?"

Dumbledore smiled at the rekindled enthusiasm in the young wizard in front of him.

"Have you ever heard of warding?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sybil Trelawney sat alone in her tower quarters, locked away from the hustle and bustle of the school. The air was thick with the aroma of lavender, which permeated through everything in the room. The fire in the corner cast long, flickering shadows across every surface, and caused the sequins on her shawls to glitter.

She sat with her eyes closed, filtering out her mundane surroundings, searching for the place that few possessed within themselves, the place that held all the possibilities of the world, all the what-if's and could-have-beens.

Images flashed through her conscience, swift and fleeting. Deepening her concentration, she slowed the images down enough to register what they contained.

A dark forest swam into view, the trees tall and forboding. A young woman was laughing, running into the forest, the trees swallowing her like a gaping maw. Flashes of green and red, and the trees disappeared. Next came a chain, long, ornate and silver, yet oppressive. As she watched, the links broke and came apart, before melding back into one long loop of pure gold. This, too, melted away, replaced by powerful emotions, rushing through her like a tsunami. Pain, sorrow, regret and longing, threatening to overwhelm her before they were washed away and replaced by happiness, contentment and overpowering love. A large castle bloomed through the emotions, tall and proud. As she watched, the picture split down the middle, and the left picture began to crumble and burn, while the other remained whole and complete. The last image she registered was of an island. On the island sat a large stone tower. Blackness erupted out of the tower, covering the island, the sea, the neighboring land masses...

Sybil pulled herself out of the trance with a gasp, swaying dangerously as her body forced itself back into consciousness. She blinked a few times, letting her eyes readjust to the dim light of the tower before standing up and walking hurriedly over to her desk. Opening a drawer, she pulled out a large, leather-bound book. She flicked through to an empty page, dipped her quill in the inkwell and began to jot down the images she had seen. The forest, the woman, the chain, the emotions, the castle, the island. And that darkness, that suffocating, all-encompassing darkness...

She laid the quill down and stared at her handwriting on the parchment, as though willing the letters to rearrange into the answers. But the letters remained where they were, the still-wet ink glistening.

She shook her head. Blowing on the ink to dry it, she closed the book and replaced it in her desk. It was getting late, and she was too tired to try to make sense of what she had seen. All that she could be certain of, was that darkness, that deep, terrible darkness, was coming.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tonks?"

Tonks looked up from the huge stack of parchment on her desk to see Rollins stood awkwardly at the entrance to her cubicle on the Auror office. Smiling, she motioned for him to come in.

"What's going on?" she asked, when Rollins didn't move from his spot.

"Mad-Eye wants to see us."

Tonks frowned.

"Why? There isn't a training sim for another week yet."

Rollins shrugged.

"All he said was to find you then come to his office." He lowered his voice as Tonks stood. "You don't suppose he found out about before?"

Tonks shook her head.

"I doubt it." Straightening her robes, she motioned down the corridor. "Shall we?"

They walked the short distance to Mad-Eye's office in comfortable silence, neither wishing to vocalise their thoughts on what Mad-Eye had summoned them for. Rollins raised his hand and rapped sharply on the door. A gruff "Come in!" sounded from within and Tonks pushed the door open.

Mad-Eye's office looked like the interior of a Dark Arts protection shop. A large Foe Glass occupied a large space on a desk, while a broken Sneakoscope lay on it's side next to it. The shelves were crammed with books on curses, defense and combat tactics, as well as various other strange and deadly looking instruments.

"Rollins, Tonks, excellent." Mad-Eye hauled himself to his feet as Rollins closed the office door. "We have an emergency."

Rollins' brow furrowed.

"An emergency that required the presence of two Auror trainees?"

Mad-Eye's magical eye spun toward Rollins.

"I'm going to be blunt here. I'm not supposed to show favouritism, it's unprofessional, but you two are the best trainees we have." Tonks felt a surge of pride at these words, and forced herself to keep from smiling. "We recently received intelligence that Sirius Black was spotted in Hogsmeade."

Tonks felt her insides go numb. She was aware that her second cousin had broken out of Azkaban, but apart from the initial revelation, there had been no sight of Sirius since.

"How do we come into this?" she asked, hoping her voice was not betraying her thoughts.

"We need a team to go to Hogsmeade and investigate. I want you two to accompany them. The experience will do you good, I think."

Rollins nodded.

"When do we leave?"

"Immediately."

-x-x-x-x-x-

The rat scurried from shadow to shadow, avoiding the moonlight illuminating the grass like the plague. It's squeaks became more frantic as it ran, trying to reach the small hole in the wall that allowed it entry to the castle.

The soft padding of feet on the grass made the rat stop dead. It looked up, and up, and up, until it's eyes reached those of the enormous black dog towering over it. It gave a frightened squeak and tried to run, but the dog slammed a paw down onto the rat's tail, effectively stopping the rat in it's tracks. It lowered it's head and sniffed. It paused. It sniffed again. A feral grin broke out on the dog's face as it bared it's teeth.

The rat was now frozen in fear. The dog leant down and picked the rat up in it's jaws, carrying it over to a large tree sitting in isolation at the edge of the grounds. It easily slipped under the swinging boughs and pressed it's paw against a knot on the trunk. The tree froze and the dog slipped swiftly through a gap near the roots.

The tunnel was long, dark and damp. Moisture clung in the air and the ground was soft and squishy, which muffled the padding of the dog's paws.

They resurfaced in what appeared to be a house. The dog wound it's way through the hallways until it reached a room. It nudged the door shut before dropping the rat, still frozen, as though afraid to move. The dog stepped forward, and as it did so, it began to grow. The shaggy black hair receded, leaving pale, tattooed skin. The muzzle retreated, forming into the features of a human face. The rat looked left to right in terror as the man knelt down, desperately seeking an escape.

"Hello, Peter."


	13. Exonerated, Part I

A strangled cry from the boys' dormitory caused Harry to jump, sending a line of ink across the intricate runes on the parchment in front of him. He jumped to his feet, hand reaching toward his wand when Ron came barrelling down the stairs, dragging a large bed sheet with him. Striding angrily across the common room, he tossed the bed sheet at Hermione's feet.

"Look!" he snarled, pointing at the sheet. "Look at it!"

"Ron, I... what?" Hermione asked, startled.

"Look at this!" Ron said, grabbing the sheet and shaking it out. Bunching part of it into his hands, he shook it in her face. Harry could see several small, dark stains on the white, stains that looked horribly like...

"Blood!" Ron shouted, his face turning beet red. "And Scabbers is gone!"

Harry glanced between his two best friends, Hermione fighting back tears while Ron turned, if possible, even redder.

"I told you that bloody cat had it in for Scabbers!"

"Ron, we don't know that's Scabbers' blood." Harry said gently. Ron rounded on him.

"Yeah? Prove it then!"

Harry pulled his wand from his pocket.

" _Accio Scabbers_!"

Nothing.

"See! I told you!" Ron said, tossing the sheet into a pile.

"Hold on." Harry said. He quickly crossed the room, ran up the staircase and grabbed his invisibility cloak from his trunk, stuffing it into his pocket as he descended the staircase again.

"There's more than one way to find him." He laid his wand flat on his palm. _Show me to Scabbers._ " _Point Me_!" The wand span for a few moments before pointing out the window of the tower. Crossing, Harry peered out into the gloom of the evening. His wand seemed to be pointing toward the Whomping Willow.

"Come on," he said, pulling Ron and Hermione away from the chairs and pushing the portrait hole open. "Let's go find a rat."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sirius leant back in his chair, lazily observing the rat floating helplessly in mid-air in front of him, waving the wand in lazy circles, laughing humourlessly at the rat's vulnerability.

"I could kill you right now, Peter." he said, watching the rat squirming, trying to break free of the magic's holding on it. "But that wouldn't accomplish anything. You'd still be dead, and I'd still be a criminal." The rat's attempts to escape had started to diminish. "I made my decision. I'll force you to show yourself, and you'll be sent to the Dementors. You can feel and suffer what I felt and suffered for the past twelve years." He felt a distinct chill sweep over him, and he paused, looking around. The door was closed, all the windows were completely boarded up. He shrugged. "I'm going to enjoy this, Peter." He could hear footsteps on the landing just beyond the door and people talking in hushed voices. He stood up and walked to the centre of the room, levitating the rat to eye level.

"Time's up, Peter."

Then the door exploded. Sirius brought a hand up to his face to shield himself from the swirl of dust and splinters.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

They reached the Whomping Willow in very little time, thanks to the lack of teachers patrolling the corridors and Harry's invisibility cloak. Harry looked all over the tree, looking for where Scabbers could have gone. The wildly whipping branches made it rather difficult, and he had learnt his lesson from his previous encounter with the tree.

" _Immobilus!_ " he whispered, pointing his wand at the Whomping Willow. There wasn't really a need to whisper, as the tree was set some way away from the castle, and there was no way that anyone would have heard him even if he had shouted at the top of his voice. The tree froze instantly, and the trio were able to inch closer, examining the tree intently.

"There!" Hermione breathed, pointing. Harry followed her finger and saw a small opening near the roots. The ground around it had been churned up, by what, Harry didn't want to guess. He knew firsthand what sort of monsters called the grounds of Hogwarts their home, and he was sure that the Willow wouldn't be any different.

"Come on." he said, cautiously stepping forward. He beckoned to the other two to follow him and descended into the base of the tree. Ron and Hermione pulled off the cloak and cautiously followed him in.

" _Lumos_!"

The tip of Harry's wand illuminated, bathing the tunnel in light. Behind him, he heard Ron and Hermione mirror his actions. Carefully stepping forward, he slowly walked through the tunnel, keeping his ears trained in the direction of the end of the dank underground passageway.

"Where do you suppose this goes?" Ron whispered.

"No idea." Harry admitted. "Dumbledore never mentioned it to me."

"I haven't read anything about it either." Hermione said. "All I know is that the Whomping Willow wasn't brought onto the grounds until 1971. This tunnel must have been used for keeping something hidden."

They continued along the passageway until it finally began sloping upwards.

They steeped out into what appeared to be an old house. The windows were all boarded up and a thick layer of dust covered everything in sight. Ron gasped.

"I think we're in the Shrieking Shack."

"The what?"

Ron looked slightly pale.

"It's in Hogsmeade. It's supposed to be the most haunted building in Britain."

Harry felt his heart begin to pound harder. He raised his wand again.

" _Homenum Revelio_!"

A light glided down the stairs and into the end of his outstretched wand. His grip on his wand tightened.

"We're not alone here. Be on your guard."

They ascended the staircase slowly, every step deafening in the silence that surrounded them. Once they reached the landing, they could hear a man's voice coming from beyond a closed door.

"In there." Harry whispered. "Hermione, get the door."

Hermione pointed her wand at the door while Harry and Ron took up defensive stances on either side of her. The voice inside the room had stopped.

" _Bombarda_!"

The door exploded inwards in a shower of dust and splintered wood. Harry rushed forward, pointing his wand into the dust cloud.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

As the dust settled, a wand sailed through the air. Harry reached out his left hand and deftly snatched the wand from the air. He looked around the room and saw a man standing in the middle of the room. But not just any man. Sirius Black.

Hermione gave a small scream as Harry and Ron immediately trained their wands on Black. Harry glanced at the floor next to Black's right foot and saw Scabbers twitching slightly.

Ron had seen Scabbers too and started forward, but Harry threw his arm out, halting his best friend in his tracks.

"Stop! You know what he's capable of."

Scabbers attempted to dart away from the convict, but Black shot his foot out and stamped down on Scabbers' tail. The rat gave a loud squeak of pain and protest, and Ron snarled.

"Leave my rat alone!"

Black ignored him. He was staring at Harry, who met his gaze evenly.

"Harry Potter."

It wasn't a question. Harry said nothing, instead he continued to stare straight back into Black's eyes.

"You look so much like your father." Black continued, seemingly oblivious to the three wands pointing at him and the squirming rat under his boot. "Except for your eyes, of course. You have..."

"My mother's eyes, I know." Harry growled. Black continued to stare at Harry. But it wasn't a stare filled with hatred or anger. There was no murderous glint in the prisoner's eyes. Instead, his eyes seemed to be holding oceans of emotions; sadness, longing, guilt, regret, and possibly, though Harry was sure he was imagining it, adoration. It didn't make sense.

"I had hoped to see you, Harry. I've waited so long."

"Then what are you waiting for?" Harry asked.

"You don't know the whole story, Harry. Only two people in the entire world know the true story. Me, and Peter Pettigrew."

Harry laughed. Black was clearly insane.

"Pettigrew's dead. _You_ killed him!"

Sirius shook his head.

"Believe me, I wanted to kill him. But I didn't. He got the better of me. He's alive, and he's right _here_!" He stamped on Scabbers' tail again on the last word, garnering another squeak of pain.

"Scabbers? You're mental!" Ron said, his wand still pointing at Black's head.

"I, Sirius Orion Black, swear on my life and my magic that what I tell you about the events of Halloween, 1981 is completely true and has not been falsified in any way. So mote it be." A white light engulfed Black for a moment before fading. Harry felt his stomach knot uncomfortably. Black could no more lie now than Harry could walk to the moon. He was about to find out what really happened, a true account of the events leading to his parents' deaths.

"When your parents went into hiding, I was their original Secret Keeper. Only I could divulge the knowledge of where they were." Sirius said, as he lowered the wand, looking directly at Harry. "However, I felt sure that Voldemort would come after me. I was the obvious choice; I was the best man at your parent's wedding and your father's best friend. I convinced them to use Pettigrew as the Secret Keeper instead. That was my first mistake. We told no-one about the switch. That was my second mistake.

"Pettigrew went straight to Voldemort with the information. Voldemort went to your house, and obviously you know what happened. I tracked Peter down and confronted him. With his wand behind his back, he blew the street apart and transformed into a rat. I was angry and delirious. I just stood there and laughed. That was my third mistake.

"I spent the next twelve years in Azkaban while he spent those years as a rat. When I saw him in the paper on your shoulder," he nodded at Ron. "I knew I had to expose him. Let the world see that he did what I was blamed for. I didn't betray your parents, Harry. But, in a twisted way, I did."

Silence pervaded the room. Harry looked from Sirius, to Ron, to Hermione, to the rat, still struggling to escape Sirius' boot. He could see tears starting to build in the corners of Sirius' eyes. Ron was still eying Sirius with a mixture of suspicion and fear. Hermione had tear tracks down her cheeks. Harry made up his mind.

"We'll take this to Dumbledore." He pointed his wand at Scabbers. " _Petrificus Totalus_!"

Scabbers stopped struggling and went stiff as a board. Sirius bent down and slipped the rat into his pocket before striding over to the hole where the door had once been.

"Come on, then. I've waited twelve years. I don't want to wait any longer."


	14. Exonerated, Part II

The journey back to Hogwarts seemed impossibly short to Harry. Before he knew it, he was stood outside Dumbledore's office, rapping on the wood.

"Enter."

Harry gave Sirius a small shove, his wand still trained on his back. Sirius sighed, reached out and turned the handle.

The office was fuller than Harry had ever seen it. Dumbledore was standing in front of his desk next to a rather deranged looking man, with a long mane of hair and a grizzled looking face. Next to him were a man and woman, who appeared to be in their mid-twenties. Spread out around the room were several other people, all clad in travelling cloaks. On Dumbledore's other side stood a portly man spinning a lime green bowler hat on his finger.

Everyone stopped talking immediately as the group shuffled quickly into the room. There was the slightest pause as everyone looked at Sirius before about fifteen wands were directed at the prisoner.

"Hold your fire!" the grizzled man barked. "Can't you see the kids behind him?"

"S-Sirius Black!" the man with the hat squeaked. Harry noticed a young woman's face harden at the mention of the name.

"I know, Fudge, I have eyes." the man growled. Fudge looked rather affronted, but his obvious fear of Sirius seemed to render him unable to do anything but flounder.

Harry glanced over at the headmaster, the only person to have not reacted to the convict walking into his office as though he owned the place. His eyes were flicking between Harry and Sirius, as though trying to piece together the events that had brought Sirius to Hogwarts.

"What are you waiting for? Someone bind him!" Fudge said, looking around at the people assembled around him.

"Wait!" Harry said quickly. Everyone stared at him. He cleared his throat slightly. "Everyone thinks Sirius broke out of Azkaban to try to kill me. If that was the case, would I be here now?"

"Come now, Harry," Fudge said, giving a half-hearted smile. "Black is crazy. Do you really think - "

The next few seconds happened so fast, Harry barely had time to register them. Sirius' face contorted with anger and he took a step toward Fudge. Instantly, the grizzled man had his wand out and under Sirius' chin. Sirius backed off, hands in the air.

"Not another move."

Dumbledore placed his hand on the man's shoulder.

"That will do, Alastor."

Alastor stepped back, but kept his wand pointed straight at Sirius' face. Dumbledore turned to Harry.

"I hope you have evidence to back up what you're saying, Harry."

Harry nodded.

"You can ask Sirius himself."

Dumbledore turned to Sirius.

"Well?"

Sirius took a breath, and quickly recounted all that he had told Harry in the Shrieking Shack. Harry watched the headmaster, looking for any kind of reaction in his face, but Dumbledore remained impassive.

When Sirius had finished, Dumbledore glanced at Alastor before turning back to Sirius.

"Would you mind me entering your mind to verify what you have just told us?"

Sirius shrugged.

"By all means."

There was silence as Dumbledore and Sirius stared at each other. After a few moments, Dumbledore sighed and turned to Fudge.

"He was telling the truth, Cornelius."

Fudge was shaking his head wildly.

"No. No, he wasn't. You must have made a mistake."

Dumbledore smiled slightly.

"Forgive me, Cornelius, but I am rather intelligent. Don't you think if I had made a mistake, I would know it?"

Fudge stared at Dumbledore.

"N-no, I suppose not."

Harry grinned at Dumbledore over Fudge's shoulder. Fudge then rounded on Sirius.

"What about Pettigrew, then? Where's he?"

"In my pocket." Sirius said calmly.

"In your - " Fudge blustered. Sirius reached into his pocket and pulled Scabbers out, tossing the rat at Fudge, who yelped and jumped back, causing Scabbers to drop to the floor with a muffled _thump!_

"Harry?" Sirius said, his eyes trained on Scabbers. "My wand, if you please?"

Harry glanced at Dumbledore, who nodded. Harry reached into his pocket, pulling out Sirius' wand. He hesitated for a moment, then passed the wand to Sirius. Harry saw several grips tighten on wands. Sirius ignored them, and pointed his wand at Scabbers. There was a flash of light, and everyone watched in fascinated horror as Scabbers began to grow. And grow. And grow. They watched as the limbs shot outwards, the hair receded and the face squashed backwards on itself. Moments later, a small, unkempt, rather mousy looking man was lying on the floor in front of them. Sirius pointed at a young man.

"What's your name?"

"Rollins."

"Be ready to restrain him."

He pointed his wand at the man and muttered, " _Finite_!" Another flash of light, and the man stirred. He dragged himself to his feet before looking around. Seeing the multitude of wands pointed at him, then seeing Sirius, the man gave a squeak of fright and tried to run to the door. Instantly, the man Sirius had singled out had grabbed him by the back of his robes and pulled him back, clasping his arms behind his back.

Sirius stalked toward the man.

"Well, hello, Peter. It's been a while."

Pettigrew struggled against the arms still tightly locked around his own.

"Sirius! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to - "

Sirius shook his head.

"It's too late for apologies, Peter. You're off to Azkaban." He turned to Fudge. "Satisfied, Minister?"

Fudge looked like he'd been turned to stone. He was staring at Peter with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Oh, yes, absolutely." he finally managed. "We'll keep him in a holding cell at the Ministry and take him to Azkaban tomorrow to await trial." He motioned to Alastor, who nodded and turned to the group.

"Come on, we're done here."

Harry saw the young man's grip on Peter relax slightly. He called out, but he was already too late. Peter lunged forward, tearing himself almost completely out of the man's grip. Pettigrew reached out, snatching a wand as he fell forward.

" _Portus!_ " he screamed, pointing the wand at a stool. The stool glowed blue for a moment, then Pettigrew landed heavily on it. There was another flash of light, and Pettigrew and the Auror both disappeared.

"No!" Sirius roared, lunging forward. Several spells flew forth from the assembled Aurors' wands, but they were too slow. Pettigrew was already gone.

"Damn it!" Alastor growled. He pointed his own wand at the spot where Pettigrew and Rollins had disappeared. " _Portus Revelio!_ "

A soft glow of blue light began to emerge from the spot, growing and growing until it filled the entire room. Harry, Ron, and Hermione all looked around in astonishment, having never seen this kind of magic before. As they watched, the light began to dissipate, revealing a large, open field, urrounded on all sides by hedges, the blades of grass swaying lazily in the wind. In the distance, a farmhouse could just be seen.

"A Portkey Revealing Charm." Dumbledore muttered to Harry. "It allows the caster to see where the last Portkey used in a certain area was linked to."

"All right." Alastor barked, the charm dropping and the setting returning to Dumbledore's office.. "All of you, with me! Tonks, please escort the Minister back to the Ministry."

"I can help..." the woman next to Alastor started, but Alastor cut across her.

"No! The reason we're going in the first place is because we've lost a recruit. I'll not endanger another. Escort the Minister back to the Ministry, then wait in the office until we return."

Tonks looked to be on the brink of arguing, but seemed to think better of it. She sighed.

"Fine. If you'll follow me, Minister..."

Fudge was looking rather flustered.

"Oh, yes, of course."

Alastor waited until the Minister and Tonks had left the office, then turned to his Aurors.

"Here's what's happening. Go in heavy, Stunners all around. I want Pettigrew captured, and Rollins unharmed. Am I clear?"

"Yes, sir." came the chorus of replies.

Dumbledore reached over his desk, placing a small glass vial in the edge. He drew his wand, directing it at the little container.

" _Portus!_ "

The vial glowed blue, then reverted to its normal sheen.

"Whenever you're ready, Alastor."

Alastor nodded.

"My thanks, Albus."

The Aurors all gathered round the vial, some touching the glass, others touching their comrades. There was a momentary pause, then a flash of light. When the light faded, the Aurors, and the vial, were gone.

Harry turned to Dumbledore.

"What will happen now?"

Dumbledore shook his head.

"I don't know. For Cornelius, the political backlash will be enormous. He could have spun these events to make himself and his office look good. He discovered the true events of twelve years ago, then lost the man who was truly responsible before he can be properly tried? Fudge is going to have a lot to deal with." He turned his attention to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry met his gaze, and there was something close to fury in his eyes. "I cannot fault your courage in this matter, but how you went about it was very irresponsible. I hope you will never do anything like this again."

"Of course not." Harry said quickly. Behind him, Ron and Hermione nodded furiously.

"Very well. I suggest you three get back to Gryffindor Tower. I need a few moments to talk to Sirius here in private."

They nodded and quickly left the office. Dumbledore sighed and motioned to the chair by the desk.

"Please, take a seat, Sirius."

Sirius complied as Dumbledore settled into his own chair behind the desk. Leaning forward, he steepled his fingers and fixed Sirius with his piercing blue stare.

"Why didn't you tell me all this before, Sirius?" He asked.

"Because you wouldn't have believed me." Sirius answered readily. "With Pettigrew gone, there was no proof."

"You should at least have told me you'd switched Secret Keepers."

"I know. I've regretted it every day since."

Dumbledore settled back in his chair slightly.

"I expect Cornelius will issue you a full pardon in the next few days, as well as some form of compensation."

"It'll take more than that to make me forgive the last twelve years of my life." Sirius said harshly.

"I understand completely." He leaned forward again. "Settling back into society is not going to be easy, Sirius." he warned. "You've spent the last twelve years as a convicted murderer; people aren't going to forget that overnight. With that said, I will always be available should you need any kind of support or help."

Sirius nodded gratefully.

"Thank you."

"You should have access to your family vault within the next couple of weeks, meaning you will be able to move back into Grimmauld Place straight away..."

"No." Sirius interjected quickly. "I spent my entire life trying to get away from there; I don't want to have to go back."

"Well, I'm sure other arrangements can be made. Which also brings us onto our next order of business.

"James and Lily appointed you Harry's guardian in the event of their death. At the moment, he is living with his aunt and uncle, but, if you want to, it can be arranged that he will live with you while he isn't at Hogwarts."

"Of course." Sirius said quickly, leaning forward. "Of course I want to. Provided that he does as well, of course."

Dumbledore scrutinised him for a moment.

"Are you absolutely sure?"

"I already failed James and Lily once; I'm not about to fail them again. I should have been there for Harry from the start." Sirius said, his eyes full of conviction. Dumbledore smiled slightly.

"In that case, once your living arrangements have been made, I'll ensure Harry's custody gets transferred. You will also have access to James and Lily's possessions, as they were seized by Gringotts. I'm sure you could find something of sentimental value in there."

Sirius nodded, grinning uncontrollably.

"Thank you, Albus, for everything."

Dumbledore smiled.

"It is absolutely no problem, Sirius. You should be aware that Remus is currently teaching here. You may want to reacquaint yourselves."

Sirius' eyes lit up.

"I'll be sure to."

"You can spend tonight in my quarters, until I can find you suitable accommodation in the castle."

Sirius frowned.

"Where are you sleeping, then?"

"Oh, no need to worry. Just the other night, I was thinking about going to bed after replacing some books in the library, when I stumbled across a room filled with beds. I'm sure I'll be able to find it again."


	15. New Beginnings

The field the aurors found themselves in was identical to the vision they had just seen in Dumbledore's office. If they didn't know better, they might have guessed that Moody had simply cast the charm again. But there were subtle differences. The midnight chill that seeped through their pores and into their bones was very real and very present. So too was the sense of danger, the hair on the backs of their necks pricking up.

"Everyone, fan out." Moody muttered, tightening his grip on his wand. "We find Pettigrew and Rollins, and we get the hell out of here. No heroics."

"Are you sure they're still here?" Dawlish asked, looking around. "They had a hell of a head start."

"Well, if they're not," Moody said, looking at the farmhouse. "then we had better find some clue as to where they went." A light had flickered into existence within the farmhouse, something only Moody had noticed, thanks to his magical eye. "Spread out and search the fields. I'll check out the house."

The Aurors moved out, though none of them illuminated their wands. Drawing attention to themselves was too risky. Supersensory Charms were an Auror's best friend in this situation. Moody himself stumped forward, though he cast no spells. He didn't need to. His magical eye saw through the darkness as though it were noon on a bright summer's day.

He encountered no resistance, nor any sign of his missing recruit, on his way. He didn't know whether to be unnerved or relieved by that. On the one hand, there was no evidence that Pettigrew had harmed Rollins. On the other, however, there was no evidence that he hadn't. The only evidence that Moody had was the light in the building he was approaching, and even that was slim. It may just be the farmer, out late at night.

A long, agonised shout of pain caught Moody's attention. It had come from the farmhouse. He moved faster, crossing the uneven terrain as fast as his one good leg would allow. Several other Aurors had heard the shout as well, and they rushed forwards, toward the house. Moody held his wand tight as he reached the door.

"Ready." he said lowly. The Aurors nodded. " _Bombarda!_ "

The door exploded inwards in a shower of sparks. Immediately, the Aurors piled through the door, Stunning Spells shooting in every direction. Moody stumped through the door, magical eye whizzing around. What he saw almost made his heart stop.

Rollins was in the farmhouse, suspended almost teen feet in the air, his arms lashed to overhead beams with lengths of what looked like steel rope. His shirt had been ripped open, a gaping hole in the middle of his torso. Set inside the hole was a small, glowing something.

"Rollins!"

One of the Aurors tried to dart forward, but Moody's reactions were quicker. He threw his arm out, catching the auror and pushing him back roughly.

"No! Don't touch him!"

Moody stepped forward cautiously, examining Rollins, who wearily raised his head, as though the simple action caused him great pain.

"Mad-Eye... Pettigrew... He's gone... I'm... sorry..."

Moody examined the hole in Rollins' torso. Set inside was a small stone. As he peered at it, he could just make out small, silvery runes, roughyletched into the surface, as though they had been drawn in a hurry.

"Murphy? What are these runes?"

Murphy stepped forward, examining them. His eyes widened.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

"What are they?"

"One is a proximity rune. The other is an expulsion rune. The third is a time rune. That stone will explode if we get too close, or after a set amount of time, whichever comes first."

"How much time?"

Murphy waved his wand.

"About ten seconds."

Moody's eyes widened. He looked up at Rollins.

"Go..."Rollins begged, his eyes fluttering shut. Moody rounded on his Aurors.

"MOVE!"

The Aurors ran, their instincts for self-preservation overriding their instincts to save their comrade. Moody tried to run, but his fake leg was heavy, slowing him down.

He didn't see the magical explosion. But he felt it. The shockwave slammed into his back, lifting him off the floor and throwing him from the building. Several of the Aurors who hadn't reacted quickly enough screamed in pain as the explosion consumed them, fire ripping across their body, scorching their flesh. Moody landed heavily, feeling the breath rush from his lungs. He rolled over, looking back at the farmhouse, though there wasn't much to look at anymore.

The magical explosion had all but destroyed the house, flames leaping from smashed windows, illuminating the area around it in a violent orange. Moody could no longer see Rollins, but he knew that it was hopeless to look.

One of the Aurors ran forward, helping pull Moody to his feet. Moody could only stare at the wreckage of the house.

"What now, sir?"

"We failed." Moody said lowly. "There's nothing more we can do here. Get back to the Ministry. I'll arrange for a cleanup crew. Trail's gone cold. If there was evidence of where Pettigrew went, it's gone now."

-x-x-x-x-x-

 **SIRIUS BLACK EXONERATED!**

 **A special report by Richard Larkin**

 **Startling new evidence has recently come to light regarding the arrest and imprisonment of Sirius Black in 1981. Black was arrested and sent to Azkaban in 1981 for the murder of Peter Pettigrew as well as twelve Muggle bystanders. For years, the wizarding community has believed that Peter Pettigrew was dead. However, on the night of December 5** **th** **, 1993, a startling discovery was made.**

 **Following a sighting of Black in Hogsmeade village, a task force of Aurors was sent to investigate. However, they did not even get as far as the village. During a meeting with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, who should walk in but the man they were sent to find, accompanied by three students of Hogwarts. According to several eye-witness accounts, Black proceeded to retell the story of what really transpired on that fateful night. The greatest shock of all, perhaps, was that of Black proving Peter Pettigrew to be alive.**

 **This testimony, confirmed by the use of Judicial Pensieve as well as the Minister for Magic's own account, raises several important questions. How did Pettigrew manage to escape the authorities so easily? Why did Sirius Black not get a trial? And on whose shoulders does the blame lie? Turn to pages 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 for more information on this extraordinary case.**

Harry put down his copy of the Daily Prophet, grinning in spite of himself, looking up to the Staff Table. Sirius was talking animatedly with Professor Lupin, both men's laughter carrying across the hall. Dumbledore was watching the pair with a small smile on his face, while Snape... Snape was regarding Sirius and Lupin with a look of loathing that he usually reserved for Harry.

To say that Sirius' presence in the Great Hall that morning had caused a stir would have been the biggest understatement of the century. Madam Pomfrey had barely had time to eat as she hurried around the Great Hall distributing Calming Draughts to the younger students. Many of the older students had made a move to grab their wands while others simply stared. It had taken almost an hour for Dumbledore to explain Sirius' presence and reassure the students that they were in no danger. The majority of the students seemed to have calmed somewhat, and even more so after reading the Daily Prophet's account, though the occasional furtive and suspicious glance was still shot at Sirius from time to time. If Sirius noticed these, however, he didn't show it.

"I must admit, I thought people would be a lot more worried that they're sitting within twenty feet of a supposed mass murderer, with only Dumbledore and the Prophet's word that he's innocent." Hermione said, casting her gaze over the student body. Ron shrugged.

"I guess because Dumbledore's here, they feel a lot safer than they normally would. I know he's innocent and all, but he wouldn't last two seconds against Dumbledore if he tried to hurt the students."

"I think you're right," Harry agreed, nodding. "but I don't think the wider community is going to be quite as trusting."

"I know." Hermione said sadly, shooting a sympathetic glance at Sirius. "In the eyes of the world, he's still a murderer. People aren't going to forget that in a hurry. Even if they do eventually forget about it, his life won't be the same. Twelve years in prison is a lot of baggage."

Harry sighed as he looked toward his godfather, still chatting amicably with Professor Lupin. Having had the chance to wash and generally clean himself up, Sirius looked a lot healthier already. He was still incredibly thin, but a few Hogwarts meals would no doubt clear that up as well.

"He'll find a way to deal with it." Harry said. "He managed to deal with being wrongly imprisoned and being on the run. He had to know this would be the outcome. Maybe not this exact outcome, but it's better than nothing."

The trio lapsed into silence, content to sit and listen to the conversations around them, or, in Hermione's case, to pick up the Daily Prophet and start flipping through it. The topics of conversation were horribly predictable; Sirius, classes, Sirius, Melissa Rogers' fainting fit, Sirius, Pettigrew and Sirius. Harry was perfectly content to simply listen to the conversations, only nodding or making a noise in his throat when there was a pause for breath.

A hand on his shoulder caused Harry to spin his head round, wincing as he felt the muscles pop in his neck. He looked up slowly to see his godfather grinning at him. He could just see in his peripheral vision Lavender scoot not-so-subtly further down the table, Seamus' hand flicking toward his pocket and Dean's mouth clenching slightly. Sirius made no indication that he had seen any of the Gryffindors' reactions to his presence at the table.

"Morning, Harry!" His voice was light and cheery, a far cry from the hoarse, raspy tone he had used in the Shrieking Shack and Dumbledore's office. Harry grinned up at him.

"Hey, Sirius. You're looking better."

"I feel it." Sirius let go of Harry's shoulder, though his grin didn't fade. "Listen. Dumbledore wants you to drop by his office later. He wants to sort some stuff out with you."

"What kind of stuff?" Harry asked shrewdly, noting the excited quality Sirius' face had suddenly taken on.

"I can't tell you that, I'm afraid. But you're really going to like it, I hope." he said mysteriously. "Should I tell Dumbledore to expect you later?"

"Yeah, of course." Harry said, trying to discern what he could from Sirius' face. Sirius grinned again.

"Excellent!" He nodded toward Ron and Hermione. "Good to see you, you two."

They smiled and waved as Sirius grasped Harry's shoulder slightly before heading back up to the Staff Table. Harry watched as Sirius leant across Professor McGonagall, who looked rather affronted by the intrusion into her personal space, and said something to Dumbledore. The old wizard nodded and replied before turning his twinkling gaze to Harry, who quickly looked back to his best friends.

"What d'you reckon Dumbledore wants?" Ron asked Harry. Harry shook his head.

"I haven't the first clue."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Fudge wearily ran a hand over his face, trying desperately to regain some semblance of composure. The media had not been kind. Word of the events at Hogwarts had spread remarkably quickly throughout the Ministry. Fudge wouldn't have minded, if not for the fact that his administration had had several doubts raised against it. The capture and exoneration of Sirius Black had been met with approval, but the escape of Peter Pettigrew had thrown a spanner into the proverbial works.

Fudge had at first attempted to lay the blame at the feet of the previous administration, as their obvious lack of proper investigation had started this whole mess. And if they had managed to remand Pettigrew in custody, it might have worked. But as Pettigrew had escaped, people had quickly started asking whether Fudge's office was any better.

Fudge had tried in vain to keep the focus on the previous Ministry, but it was making very little difference. As Millicent Bagnold had already retired, there was no disciplinary action which could be taken. In an effort to keep the public's attention directed away from his office, Fudge had then shifted all the focus to Bartemius Crouch, the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. This certainly seemed to have had an effect, as the public soon began calling for Crouch's resignation. Whether he would or not was another matter.

The Auror office had also come under fire. The lack of responsiveness on the part of the Auror task force had raised several question marks over the quality of instruction within the office. Fudge was well aware that Moody had suspended several Aurors and terminated the contracts of several others, but there was pressure for Moody to retire as well. Fudge knew the old Auror was tough, but even he had to let go sometime.

Fudge sighed. All in all, it wasn't looking good.

-x-x-x-x-x-

There are many stories surrounding the black forest in Albania. The locals say that the forest is haunted, and that any who dare to venture into it will never return, killed by the evil spirits that lurk between the thick trees. Others have postulated that the inky blackness is so encompassing and disorientating that people in the forest simply wander around for days, searching for a way out before dying of hunger. The more naïve believe that the forest is a gateway to a paradise, one so great that people would never leave and return to their own lives. Most, however, believe that the forest is home to murderers and other outlaws that kill anyone trespassing on their home.

They were all wrong, and yet they were also all correct.

The stories of the black forest were well known, and so the locals generally gave the forest a wide berth. There was always the odd exception, and these people were never seen again. Over the years, the villagers had become used to these disappearances, and so little mind was paid to them. A callous outlook, perhaps, but one that helped them all to cope with living so close to cursed ground. Their only buffer allowing them to continue to live so close to the forest was that whatever resided within the forest had not yet seen fit to leave the confines of the trees. Because if it did, God help them all.

-x-x-x-x-x-

That evening found Harry knocking on the door to Dumbledore's office. As soon as he heard the headmaster bid him enter, he pushed the door open and surveyed the scene that greeted him.

Dumbledore was sitting behind his desk, tidying a large stack of parchment. Sirius was also there, rocking back on the back two legs of his chair, his feet propped up on one of the spindle-legged stools that usually supported an instrument of uncertain function. He grinned at Harry and gave him a thumbs up as Harry ventured further into the familiar office.

"Ah, Harry! Excellent!" Dumbledore said, pulling a small sheaf of parchment from the stack on his desk, placing it down in front of him. "Please, take a seat."

Harry sank down into his usual seat. He could feel his stomach knotting in a mix of anticipation and trepidation. A small bang alerted them that Sirius had finally decided to sit like a normal person. Dumbledore shook his head slightly before returning his attention to Harry.

"You might be pleased to learn that Sirius received a full pardon from the Ministry of Magic this morning, along with compensation to the tune of fifty thousand Galleons."

"Like that's supposed to make me forget about the last twelve years of my life." Sirius muttered.

"Sirius, be nice." Dumbledore said sternly. "Anyway," he continued. "Sirius is now a free man."

"That's great!" Harry exclaimed. "Though I must admit, I wasn't expecting Fudge to issue a pardon so quickly."

Dumbledore chuckled.

"I think it's most likely that Fudge is trying his utmost to ensure that his administration looks better than the last."

"Politicians." Sirius muttered darkly.

"This means," Dumbledore said, ignoring Sirius' commentary. "that Sirius has been afforded all the rights that apply to everyone else in the wizarding population. Which brings us to our next order of business." He picked up the parchment in front of him. "This is a copy of your parents' will, Harry." Dumbledore said gently. "In it, your parents requested that you be placed in Sirius' care in the event of their death. As Sirius was incarcerated, he was unable to fulfil that responsibility. However, due to the new circumstances, if you wish to, Sirius will take you into his care. You will stay with him during school holidays, and he will be your legal guardian instead of your aunt and uncle."

Harry's jaw practically hit the floor. In the furore surrounding Pettigrew, he hadn't given thought to the full implications of Sirius being his godfather. His heart was pounding at what felt like 300 beats a minute.

"If you don't want to, I more than understand." Sirius said, taking Harry's silence as discontent, his face falling.

"Are you kidding?" Harry spluttered. "Of course I want to live with you!"

"Really?" Sirius asked, his face lighting up immediately.

"Absolutely!" He turned to Dumbledore. "What about the wards at the Dursley's?"

"I can transfer the effects to whatever property Sirius decides to call home." Dumbledore said, beaming.

Harry barely had time to grin back before he was pulled out of his seat and into a bone-crushing hug by Sirius. Dumbledore chuckled slightly before clearing his throat. Sirius released his grip on Harry and allowed him to settle back into the chair, trying to restore some semblance of oxygen supply.

"Obviously, Sirius has not bought a house yet." Dumbledore said, once Harry had found his breath again. "but I'm sure that will be rectified by the Christmas holidays. I imagine you will want to go during the Christmas period, and I am sure you have a lot of catching up to do." Harry nodded, finding speech to be rather elusive at the moment. Dumbledore looked at him over the top of his half-moon spectacles. "I am sure you are feeling rather overwhelmed at the moment, so I won't keep you any longer. You may go."

Harry stood up, slightly dazed. As he passed Sirius, the man grasped his shoulder as he passed, giving him a reassuring smile. Harry grinned back as he pulled the door open. Stepping through, he pulled it closed after him and set off in the direction of Gryffindor Tower, the grin still plastered over his face.

Back in the office, Sirius settled himself in the chair Harry had just vacated.

"I honestly didn't think he'd be so eager." Sirius admitted.

"Harry is an incredible boy." Dumbledore said. "In time, you'll learn that as well."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonks looked up as the door to the Auror offices opened. She had returned the Minister to his office, and had spent the last half an hour sat in an empty cubicle, twirling her wand absentmindedly between her fingers. She didn't know what was worse; the waiting, or the inability to help with the search.

The sight that greeted her was not a pleasant one. Every Auror looked ashen-faced and dejected. Moody himself seemed rather lost. She also couldn't help but notice that their number was significantly fewer than had been at Hogwarts.

"What happened?" Tonks asked, running to Moody. "Where's everyone else?"

"It was a trap." Moody replied, not looking at her.

"And Rollins?" Tonks asked, afraid to hear the answer.

Moody looked at her this time, sorrow in his eye.

"I'm sorry." he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

Tonks felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Rollins couldn't be gone. He just couldn't. She choked back a sob, forcing herself to remain as professional as she could.

"So what now?" she choked out.

Moody looked at her sombrely.

"I don't know."


	16. Welcome home, Harry

"You're WHAT?"

"I'm going to be living with Sirius." Harry repeated, grinning. Ron's mouth hung open as he struggled for words, as Hermione squealed excitedly and flung her arms around Harry's neck, oblivious to the odd looks people gave her at her sudden outburst.

"Oh, Harry, that's _wonderful_!"

"I know," Harry chuckled as Hermione released him. "Sirius has had twelve years of isolation, and I never had a proper family. This is a fresh start, for both of us."

Hermione grinned, wiping tears away from the corners of her eyes as Ron found his voice again.

"That's really great, mate." he said, clapping Harry on the shoulder. "When do you move in?"

"Hopefully over the Christmas holidays." Harry replied, settling himself down into a chair. "Sirius is looking into getting a house as soon as possible."

"Blimey, I expect Mum'll have a few words on the subject of you living with an ex-prisoner." Ron said, a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"She trusts Dumbledore, and Dumbledore trusts Sirius." Harry shrugged. "Sirius has ben proven innocent, so I'm sure she'll be able to deal with it."

"I didn't mean it like that," Ron said quickly. "I meant that people have spent the last twelve years believing he sold your family to Voldemort. He's not going to have it easy."

Harry nodded, a glimmer of sadness in his eyes.

"I know, but I'm sure he'll cope just fine. If he could survive Azkaban, he'll survive a few harsh comments, I'm sure."

Hermione nodded in agreement.

"You'll be fine. Both of you."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Dumbledore signed his name at the bottom of the scroll of parchment with a flourish, laying his quill down next to it. Picking the letter up, he scanned over the words quickly and carefully, checking he had included everything he wished to say.

 _To Mr & Mrs Dursley,_

 _I am writing to inform you that due to a combination of what Harry has told me of his experiences while in your care, as well as a change of events within the wizarding community, myself and Harry have come to the decision that he will no longer return to you during the school holidays. He will instead be living with his godfather, and I implore you not to attempt to seek him out._

 _I must admit that I am sorely disappointed with how Harry has been treated while under your care, and I sincerely hope that you realise how lucky you are to still be alive. When a young witch or wizard undergoes a great deal of stress, their body lashes out with what has been termed accidental magic. The severity of this type of magic varies dependent on the levels of stress experienced by the young witch or wizard, with the more stressful situations yielding the more powerful outbursts of magic. Ten years of abuse, neglect and malnourishment are very stressful to the body, and had Harry not had a remarkable grip on his magic, your house could have very easily been destroyed years ago._

 _When I left Harry with you twelve years ago, I had hoped that you would treat him as one of your own. Clearly, it was an error to do so, and I cannot allow Harry to continue to live under your roof, both for his safety and yours._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

Dumbledore scratched at his chin as he finished rereading the letter. Satisfied, he rolled and sealed the parchment with the school crest and carried it over to Fawkes, who was watching the headmaster intently from his perch. Dumbledore sighed, and held out the roll of parchment to the phoenix.

"You know what to do, Fawkes."

The phoenix trilled once in understanding, gripped the scroll in a claw and disappeared in a flash of fire. Dumbledore sighed again and sunk down into his chair.

He should have seen the warning signs earlier. When Harry first turned up to Hogwarts, skinny as you like, with clothes that barely fit and glasses held together with what looked like an entire roll of Sellotape. No, he could not in good conscience let Harry return there again. Not only would it stunt his growth, but it could also limit his magical potential. And in the coming days, Harry would need all the magical potential he could get. Which reminded him...

He pulled a fresh sheet of parchment toward him, picked up his quill again, and began to write.

 _Sirius,_

 _Now that Harry is to be placed in your care, there are a few details you ought to be aware of..._

-x-x-x-x-x-

The remainder of the term passed by incredibly quickly. Harry soon found himself packing his trunk ready for his departure to his new home. He had received a letter from Sirius earlier that week, informing him that he had secured a house and Harry was welcome to move in at his earliest convenience. Harry had had a grin almost permanently attached to his face since. For the first time in his memory, he would have a home away from Hogwarts.

Before he could turn around, the Hogwarts Express was pulling into Platform 9 ¾. Harry heaved his trunk out of the overhead storage compartment, a much easier feat than normal thanks to the reduced weight, helped Ron and Hermione with theirs, and dragged his trunk off the train and onto the platform.

The first thing he saw was Sirius standing on the platform near the gateway back into King's Cross, a wide grin plastered all over his face. Nearby were Mr and Mrs Weasley, both eying Sirius warily, but doing their best to remain inconspicuous, unlike the majority of the people on the platform, who were staring at sirius with open suspicion. Sirius, however, seemed completely unfazed by the attention he was receiving; instead, his eyes were glued to the train. He raised a hand in greeting as Harry stepped off of the train. Harry made his way to Sirius as quickly as the bulk of his trunk would allow, embracing his godfather, an identical grin on his face.

"Ready to go, Harry?" Sirius asked, bouncing on the balls of his feet.

"Almost." Harry replied before turning to Hermione and Ron.

"I'll ask Sirius about you guys coming over at some point in the holidays." Harry said.

"That'd be great." Hermione said, grinning at the dopey smile on Harry's face. Ron nodded in agreement.

"I'll write to you both and let you know." Harry promised. He hugged Ron and Hermione as Sirius waited patiently by Harry's trunk. "Have a good Christmas if I don't see you before."

"You too, mate." Ron said.

Hermione wrapped her arms around Harry's neck.

"See you soon, Harry."

Harry patted her back awkwardly as she let him go. Ron clapped him on the shoulder before turning back to his parents. Harry smiled and made his way back to Sirius.

"Ready to go?" Sirius asked again. Harry nodded.

"More than ready."

Sirius let out a bark of laughter and offered his arm to Harry.

"Grab hold, then."

Harry gripped Sirius' arm with one hand, while he held the handle of his trunk in the other. Sirius twisted on the spot, and they disappeared, leaving the platform behind.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Petunia Dursley was busy scrubbing the kitchen of Number Four, Privet Drive when the letter arrived. She gave a shriek of fright as a flash of fire illuminated the kitchen, reflecting off the various silver appliances dotted across the counters.

As quickly as the fire had appeared, it disappeared, leaving a single scroll of parchment in it's wake. Trembling nervously, as though expecting the kitchen table to burst into flames again, she reached forward and picked up the scroll. Twisting it in her hands carefully, she gave a frightened squeak as her eyes alighted on the wax seal.

"VERNON!"

Vernon waddled into the kitchen, his cup of coffee still clutched in his pudgy hand.

"What?" His eyes found the scroll on the table. "Where did that come from?"

"I don't know." Petunia whispered, eyeing the scroll warily. "There was a burst of fire, and it appeared."

Vernon's eyes narrowed.

"It was those _freaks_ , I'll bet you anything. About the boy, no doubt."

Petunia watched her husband pick up the scroll of parchment.

"Should we open it?"

Vernon's eyes bulged.

" _Open it_?" he hissed, causing Petunia to shrink back slightly. "Of course we're not going to open it. Why would we open it? It's bad enough we have to tolerate the boy and his freakish ways over the summer; I'm not tolerating it during the year as well."

He shoved the parchment roughly into his pocket, stomping back out of the kitchen, leaving Petunia white-faced and stricken. She didn't know why _they_ had tried to contact them now, or what they wanted, but she was sure that ignoring it would not end well for them.

Taking a deep breath, she forced the letter to the back of her mind and returned to her meticulous cleaning of the kitchen.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Harry and Sirius reappeared outside a rather large house in a seemingly Muggle street. The house itself comprised of three floors, with a small path leading down the side of the house, separating it from the house to the right. Wrought-iron fencing separated the pavement from the small garden in the front of the property, and an iron gate led to a small paved path leading to the front door.

"Wow." Harry said, his eyes raking over the house, taking in every detail. "It's big."

Sirius chuckled.

"Yeah. Being in a cell for twelve years was rough. It'll be nice to have some space." He gestured to the front door. "After you."

Harry stepped forward and reached out to open the gate, but was surprised to see that his hand just melted straight through it. He stepped forward cautiously, and found that the gate appeared to be little more than than a smoky, though realistic, projection.

"Not very secure." Harry remarked as Sirius followed him through the gate.

"It's keyed into my magical signature." Sirius explained, as he guided Harry to the front door. "As you are in my custody, it also responds to your magical signature by default."

"What about visitors?"

"For visitors, it functions as an ordinary gate. However, if said visitor is someone who wishes harm against either of us, it will not allow them entry. It's strongly shielded, so it can't be blasted out of the way. It was Dumbledore's idea, and he warded it personally, so we can rest assured it will do its job."

Harry nodded and glanced up and down the street.

"This is a Muggle street, isn't it?"

Sirius nodded.

"It is. Dumbledore and I thought you'd appreciate a little privacy while you're here. I know I certainly would."

"So what if a Muggle sees one of us just walking through the gate?"

"There's a Notice-Me-Not Spell woven into the wards. Muggles won't notice us going through the gate."

"And if a Muggle comes in with us?"

Sirius frowned slightly.

"I don't see why a Muggle would _want_ to, but if they did, a Magic Detection Charm alters the gate's properties so it functions as an ordinary gate, even if it can detect our magical signatures." He looked at Harry, a hint of concern in his eyes. "Are you worried about something?"

"No." Harry said quickly. "I'm just being cautious, and the best way to do that is to question everything."

Sirius' frown, if anything, deepened slightly.

"I see. Here we are."

They had reached the front door. Harry looked it over quickly and was surprised to see that there was no lock or handle.

"It's magically locked, Harry." Sirius explained, as Harry opened his mouth. "There's a handle and lock on the inside. To open it from the outside, you tap your wand three times in this area." He waved his hand across a section of the door about three feet above the letterbox. "Visitors knock, and Muggles will always see a door handle and what I'm told is a rather impressive lion head knocker." He pulled out his wand and tapped the aforementioned area. There was a click, and the door swung open. He motioned to Harry.

"Welcome home, Harry."

Harry grinned and stepped into his home for the first time.

The first thing that caught his eye was the staircase that dominated the right side of the foyer, leading up to the second floor. A door at the foot of the stairs seemed to lead into a large living room. A set of double doors opposite led to a hallway, and a door to the left of the staircase seemed to lead into a large room filled with bookshelves.

Sirius slipped past Harry and waved his arm around, pointing at the various doors.

"This door here leads to the living room, these double doors will take you through to the dining room and kitchen. The door next to the stairs leads to what will become the library." Sirius paused slightly. "Dumbledore wrote to me and informed me of your, ah, special circumstances regarding the Order." Harry shifted slightly. "While I question Dumbledore's wisdom in recruiting you so young, I have to admire your dedication to defeating Voldemort. I will be having my family's entire library moved here over the coming weeks, and you are more than welcome to read whatever you like. Some of the books are about Dark magic, so please use at least a little discretion when reading them." Harry nodded, still in awe at the house. "You'll have the entire second floor to yourself, and I'll be up on the third floor." Sirius continued.

"The entire floor?" Harry asked, sure he had misheard his godfather.

Sirius grinned at the look on Harry's face.

"Yes, the entire floor. The house is only basically furnished at the moment, but that will also change over the next few weeks.

"Cup of tea?"

Harry nodded and followed Sirius through to the kitchen.

The kitchen was, as Sirius had said, only furnished with the necessities. A large cooker was flanked by counters and a large fridge-freezer sat nestled into the corner of the room. A large wooden table dominated the centre of the room, with enough chairs around it to seat the entire Weasley family. Harry slipped into a chair as Sirius flicked his wand at the kettle. Stowing his wand away, Sirius turned back to Harry.

"I have to go to Diagon Alley this week, to sort some stuff out at Gringotts. You can come with me, or you can stay here, if you prefer."

"No, I'll come." Harry said. Sirius grinned.

"Great. Just one thing; I know it's pretty close to Christmas, but I don't want you to get me anything."

"Why not?" Harry asked, confused. Sirius smiled slightly.

"You got me my freedom, Harry. I can't ask any more of you."

"You have to have something, it's Christmas!"

Sirius shook his head, raising his hand.

"No, really, Harry."

Harry shook his head.

"In that case, I don't want you to get me anything either."

"Why not?" Sirius asked. Harry smiled.

"I gave you your freedom, and you gave me a home, a real home. I think we're even."

-x-x-x-x-x-

A hush fell over the Leaky Cauldron as Harry and Sirius entered. There was a moment of silence before whispers broke out like little hissing fires throughout the pub. Several bolder people had the nerve to point at Sirius as they whispered. To his credit, however, Sirius ignored this and proceeded to guide Harry gently through the pub, into the yard at the back.

"Doesn't it bother you?" Harry asked his godfather, as Sirius pulled out his wand and began counting bricks. "The pointing and whispers?"

"Of course it bothers me." Sirius said, though his tone was gentle. "But that's the hand I've been dealt. There's not a lot I can do about it at the moment, so I'm not going to dwell on it." He tapped his wand against a brick, which slid back, allowing the other bricks surrounding it to shift and form a large archway, granting access the the alley. Sirius motioned to Harry.

"Through you go."

Harry sidled past his godfather onto the narrow, bustling street. He was thankful for the multitude of people there; it would afford Sirius at least a little anonymity.

"Where to, Harry?" Sirius asked, as the archway closed behind them. Harry shrugged.

"Your choice, Sirius."

"Well, I need to go to Gringotts at some point." Sirius said, peering down the alley. "After that, I have no immediate plans, other than odds and ends for the house." He raked his eyes over the shops, and Harry could see his godfather was doing his best not to burst into tears. Harry couldn't blame him. Having been locked up for twelve years, then suddenly be allowed to walk free must be quite emotional for him. "I'll tell you what; I'll go to Gringotts now, and I'll meet you at Fortescue's after, how does that sound?"

"Yeah, that sounds great." Harry said, grinning at his godfather.

"What are you laughing at?" Sirius asked, fixing Harry with a mock stern look.

"You are allowed to show some emotion." Harry said, laughing slightly. Sirius held his expression a moment longer, before a boyish grin broke out on his face.

"I know, it's just all a bit..."

"Overwhelming?" Harry offered. Sirius nodded.

"Yeah. Overwhelming."

Harry nodded, and gripped Sirius' arm.

"Take your time. I'll meet you at Fortescue's."

Sirius nodded, clapped Harry on the shoulder and set off in the direction of the bank. Grinning, Harry made his way through the thicket of people toward Flourish and Blotts. Reaching the door, Harry pushed the door to the book shop open and stepped inside.

"Ah, Mr Potter! Good morning!"

The cheerful old shopkeeper waved merrily to Harry as he passed the desk.

"To you as well." Harry replied before setting off in the direction of the magical theory and mind magic books. Dumbledore had supplied Harry with a list of suggested reading just before the end of term, and Harry as determined to read as many as possible over the Christmas holiday. He snorted slightly. _This is what it must be like to be Hermione._

Reaching the shelves near the back of the shop, he reached out a hand and ran his fingers delicately over the thick tomes. Harry had always found it hard to believe how Hermione managed to read so many books, but since the beginning of his tuition with Dumbledore, he had developed a great fascination with books, much to Ron's chagrin, and Hermione's approval. The books he was reading, while very advanced, were incredibly insightful, and gave him a new respect for magic. It seemed the more he read about it, the more he realised how woefully misinformed he was.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Sirius strode confidently across the marble floor of Gringotts, pointedly ignoring the stares, pointing and whispers that followed him. He dug his hand into his pocket as he reached the desk, drawing out a small, golden key. He cleared his throat to catch the goblin's attention.

"Yes?"

"Sirius Black, here to examine the Potter items currently in storage in Vault 1081."

The goblin eyed him shrewdly.

"Key?"

Sirius placed the key in his hand on the desk, sliding it toward the goblin. The goblin picked it up wordlessly, examining it closely. Sirius stood quietly, waiting for the goblin to finish. Evidently satisfied, the goblin handed the key back to Sirius.

"If you would follow me, Mr Black."

Sirius followed the goblin into one of the many carts, hitching his coat slightly. The goblin settled into the driver's seat and the cart zoomed away. Sirius winced slightly against the cold air stinging his cheeks. He could only make out brief flashes of light as they raced past doors lit by torches burning softly in brackets.

The storage vaults were situated right in the bowels of the earth, presumably due to the often sensitive nature of the items being stored. After nearly ten minutes of racing through the bank, the cart screeched to a halt outside a large, circular door. Sirius stepped out of the cart, stamping his feet slightly to combat the chill. The goblin walked across to the door and ran a long finger down the centre before turning back to Sirius.

"Key."

Sirius wordlessly handed the key over to the goblin, a sudden sense of trepidation building in the pit of his stomach. Just beyond the door was the last surviving memories of Lily and James. Their possessions, both large and small; their letters, their furniture, their legacy. Sirius swallowed the lump in his throat as the goblin twisted the key in the lock and the door swung open.

"After you. If you wish to remove anything, or transfer something to another vault, please let me know."

The goblin stepped back, allowing Sirius entry to the vault. He swallowed and walked slowly into the past.

Sirius let out a soft gasp as he took in the contents of the vault. He had seen the house on the night of Voldemort's attack, but he had never thought how much had been salvaged. A sofa was pushed against a wall, the cushions still plump from years of non-use. A dressing table that had belonged to Lily, her jewellery still in boxes on top of it. James' desk, complete with the small lamp that had rested in the corner of it. As he walked further into the vault, he saw more and more items that swiftly brought back memories of a happier time. On a bookshelf lay a small pile of children's books, ones that sirius had listened to Lily read to Harry several times. Lying on the ground next to it was the toy broomstick Sirius had bought Harry for his first birthday. Tears welled up in the corner of his eyes as he looked at it, remembering the letter and accompanying photograph that he had received from Lily.

Sirius' breath caught in his throat as he looked around. He had dreamed of this day for years, a chance to relive the memories of his time with his friends. He had thought it would make him happy, but the reality was that he felt sadness and grief welling up within him. He had never considered himself the sentimental type, but clearly, he had been wrong.

His gaze landed on a box resting on top of James' desk. Walking over, he picked it up and slowly removed the lid. What he saw nearly brought the tears forth.

Inside were James' and Lily's wands, crossed over, resting on soft red velvet. Lily's was blackened along it's length, presumably from being at the epicentre of the explosion that had torn apart the house. James' seemed to be in exactly the same condition as Sirius had last seen it. He simply stared into the box, not wanting to touch them, as though afraid they would break under his touch. He replaced the lid and set the box back down on the desk. Sliding a drawer open, he saw a piece of parchment sticking out from a pile of books.

 _Surely not, Prongs..._

Carefully, he lifted the books and slid the parchment out, setting it on top of the desk. Pulling his wand from inside his coat, he hovered it over the parchment, the tip shaking. He drew in a breath, hoping against hope that the parchment was what he thought it was.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." he whispered, his hand shaking violently as he lightly tapped the parchment.

Dark ink spidered outward from the point his wand had touched, forming itself into words.

 _Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs_

 _are proud to present_

 _THE MARAUDER'S MAP_

Sirius let out a shaky laugh, his eyes brimming with tears once more.

 _Prongs, you sentimental old thing._

Sirius could vividly remember the group of friends creating these maps. The hours of exploring the school, the enchantments, the painstaking attention to detail that had gone into drawing out the entire castle. Sirius had never really known what had happened to the other maps. James had obviously kept his copy. Sirius' had been confiscated by Filch, and was probably still under lock and key. Remus had hidden his somewhere in the castle. Pettigrew had probably lost his at some point in time. Not that sirius particularly cared what Pettigrew did any more. He tapped the parchment again, muttered, "Mischief managed.", picked up the parchment and the box containing Lily and James' wands and walked back to the door and the awaiting goblin.

"I'd like to take these with me." he muttered thickly, raising the items.

"Very well. I'll have to log those with the inventory."

Sirius nodded, not trusting his voice to hold out and clambered back into the cart, tucking the precious items into an inside pocket of his coat. The goblin seated himself back into the driver's seat, and moments later, they were zooming back toward the surface.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Peter shuffled quickly from one tree to another, the light emanating from the tip of the stolen wand barely lighting his surroundings. He had heard the stories surrounding this forest from the locals, but unlike them, he knew the truth.

This forest was home to his master.

The Dark Mark on his forearm prickled uncomfortably as he delved deeper into the forest, but he paid it little mind. It was a good sign. He was getting close.

He jumped as an owl hooted in a nearby tree. He spun and fired off a curse, more on instinct. There was a pitiful hoot and a dull thump as the bird fell from it's perch. Turning back again, Peter focussed his attention on the barely visible trail leading deeper into the forest in front of him.

It made sense for Voldemort to hide himself here. The stories of the forest ensured that no one would stumble upon the dark lord by accident, and there were plenty of animals he could inhabit. It was perfect.

Peter's Mark burned hotter as he rounded a corner. He was close now. The surroundings were silent, save for his heavy breathing, and the wind rustling through the trees. He shone the light around on the floor, and he spotted the tail end of a snake curled up in the shadow of a great tree. He moved forward, and the snake struck.

Peter fell backwards as the snake lunged toward him, his head bouncing off a thick branch that had evidently fallen from one of the surrounding trees. He did his best not to struggle, but adrenaline was coursing through his system, and his body was screaming at him to either fight the snake, or get the hell out of there.

He lay stock still as the snake coiled on his chest, studying him intently with green, slitted eyes. It's tongue flicked out, tasting the air around Peter's face. Peter tried to control his breathing, so as not to disturb the snake and provoke it into attacking again.

The snake reared up, staring down into Peter's face. Then, a voice seemed to emanate from the snake itself.

"Peter Pettigrew."

Peter let out a long breath.

"Master."


	17. A Family Christmas

Harry awoke on Christmas Day to a blanket of snow covering every visible surface beyond his window. The park across the road was completely white, the snow undisturbed except by the small animals that called the trees home. The pavements were covered with snow, imprinted with footprints from the early risers.

Harry rolled out of bed and walked over to the window, looking out over the sight, grinning in spite of himself. This would be his first Christmas away from both the Dursleys and Hogwarts, and he was sure it would be his best yet.

He glanced over to the clock hanging on the wall over his desk. A cursory glance informed him that the time was almost 8am. Moving from his position by the window, he pulled his dressing gown from the hook on the wall, wrapping it around himself and pulled the door open, heading down toward the living room.

Sirius was already there, a steaming mug of coffee in one hand and the Daily Prophet in the other. As Harry entered the room, Sirius gave a snort of derision and tossed the paper aside.

"Still no news on Pettigrew?" Harry asked, although he was already pretty sure of the answer. Every day since he had moved in, Sirius had combed the Daily Prophet each day with an almost religious fervour, desperately searching for any news on Pettigrew's whereabouts.

"No, same old rubbish. 'Aurors are looking into the situation', 'Several viable leads', 'Suspicions are running rampant through the Ministry'." Sirius said, giving the paper a look of disgust. Harry could hardly blame him; it must be maddening for Sirius to be free, but the true criminal was still allowed to roam free. Harry was sure that Sirius wouldn't consider himself free until Pettigrew was caught.

"They'll find him eventually; he can't run forever." Harry said, sitting down next to Sirius.

"I know." Sirius ran a hand over his face. "But enough of that. Merry Christmas, Harry."

Sirius reached over the back of the sofa, withdrawing a small package and a large envelope.

"Sirius!" Harry exclaimed. "We said no presents!"

"They aren't presents." Sirius defended.

"They're wrapped." Harry pointed out. "That means they're presents."

Sirius sighed slightly, shaking his head.

"Then don't consider them presents. Consider them your inheritance."

"My inheritance?" Harry asked, confused. Sirius nodded.

"When I went to Gringotts, I went into the vault where the goblins are keeping your parents' possession until you turn seventeen. I thought you might like these, you know, as something to remember your parents by."

Harry's brow furrowed slightly as he slit the envelope open. Reaching in, he pulled out a large, folded piece of parchment.

"Watch." Sirius said, as he pulled his wand from his pocket. He tapped it on the parchment.

"I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

Harry watched, amazed, as dark ink spidered out from the point that Sirius' wand had touched, forming letters.

"The Marauder's Map?"

Sirius nodded, the ghost of a smile playing on his features.

When your father and I were at Hogwarts, we, along with two friends of ours, Peter and Remus Lupin, created this map."

Harry's head spun round quickly at the mention of the name "Lupin".

"Lupin? Do you mean Professor Lupin?"

"I do indeed." Sirius laughed slightly. "Of the four of us, I'm not surprised it was Moony who became a teacher."

"Moony?"

Sirius tapped his finger on the names at the head of the parchment.

"His nickname. Remus was Moony, I was Padfoot, Pettigrew was Wormtail and your father was Prongs."

Harry gently brushed his hand across the parchment, his breath catching slightly in his chest. This was the first real proof Harry had that his father had indeed existed, had lived and breathed and laughed.

"Where did your nicknames come from?"

"From our Animagus forms. As you know, Pettigrew can transform into a rat, I can turn into a dog, your father's form was a stag, and Remus was a werewolf."

" _What_!"

Sirius' eyes widened comically, reminding Harry a little of Dobby, as he realised his blunder.

"I – Dumbledore didn't tell you?" Sirius asked, worry perfectly evident in his tone. Harry shook his head, his mouth hanging open at the sudden revelation. "Oh, I thought he might have." Sirius levelled his head, looking Harry directly in the eye. "Harry, if Dumbledore didn't tell the school, then you shouldn't either. I'm sure Dumbledore had good reason not to."

Harry was silent for a few moments as he tried to process the new information. In retrospect, it made sense. He had read about werewolves over the summer in his textbooks, but had never put the two together. Now that he knew, though, it certainly explained Lupin's disappearances every month, and his unusually haggard appearance after.

"Does anyone else know?" Harry asked finally.

"If you mean at Hogwarts, only Dumbledore and Snape."

"Snape knows?"

"He was at Hogwarts with us." Sirius explained. "But that tale is very dear to me, so I shall save it for another day; I wish to do it justice."

Harry returned his attention to the map, depositing the information into the back of his mind to be dealt with later.

"So, this is a map?"

Sirius nodded, clearly relieved at the change of topic.

"Yes, a map of Hogwarts."

Harry looked at his godfather.

"When you say a map of Hogwarts..."

Sirius reached over and began unfolding the parchment. Harry's eyes widened as the entirety of Hogwarts was unfurled in front of him. He could see a few sparse dots scattered across the map. A small dot told him that Dumbledore was moving about in his office. Another showed Mrs. Norris prowling along the fourth floor, while another showed Peeves methodically making his way around the Astronomy Tower.

"This is – amazing." Harry said in awe, as he raked his eyes across the massive expanse of parchment. "Did you draw all this?"

Sirius nodded.

"We started it in our fourth year, and finished it in our fifth. It shows every single person at Hogwarts, where they are and what they're doing, various secret passages out of the castle and into Hogsmeade and any passwords for secret passages or entrances." Harry continued to stare at the map. It was incredibly detailed, and the two years it took to create was evident.

"We had one each," Sirius continued. "Mine was confiscated by Filch, Pettigrew probably lost his and I don't know what Remus did with his."

Harry looked up. He thought he knew what Sirius was implying, but he wanted to be sure.

"So you mean, that this one was..."

Sirius smiled.

"That was your father's copy."

Harry's eyes began to water slightly. The fact that the parchment he was holding had once belonged to his father made it even more precious to him. Noticing this, Sirius placed a hand comfortingly on Harry's shoulder, lightly applying pressure.

"To wipe it, you simply tap it with your wand and say 'Mischief managed'." Sirius said, demonstrating. As Harry watched, the ink began to fade away. He folded the parchment back up and placed it to the side.

"Thank you, Sirius."

Sirius gripped Harry's shoulder slightly.

"Open the other one."

With slightly trembling hands, Harry picked up the other package. He didn't know how, but it felt different to normal packages; it seemed to hum with a kind of energy. Slowly removing the paper, he discovered a leather box, undecorated except for a small maker's mark in the bottom right corner. Slowly, he removed the lid, gasping when he saw two wands laid side by side next to each other.

"Are these...?"

Sirius' eyes were also rather moist as he nodded.

"Your parents' wands."

Harry ran his fingers reverently down the wood of each, making sure not to disturb them from their positions. The tears that had been building in the corners of his eyes were now threatening to overflow. Replacing the lid, he carefully set the box aside and wrapped his arms around Sirius.

"Thank you so much, Sirius. You didn't have to - "

"I know I didn't have to," Sirius said as Harry released him. "But I wanted you to have something to remember your parents by. All my memories of them are stored safely right here," he said, tapping the side of his head with his index finger. "but you didn't have anything. They're yours now."

Harry couldn't find the words to express his gratitude to his godfather. He was sure the words didn't exist. In the short time he had known him, Sirius had done so much for him. He opted instead to pull Sirius into another hug, the tears now flowing freely.

Sirius sighed in contentment as he wrapped his arms protectively around Harry. Harry had missed out on so much while he had been imprisoned, he would make sure he didn't miss out on anything else.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Rei, we shouldn't be here."

Rei simply grinned, that stupid, boyish grin.

"Oh, come on, Leonora, you don't really believe the stories, do you?"

Leonora ran her hand absentmindedly over her baby bump as she looked at the darkness beyond the trees.

"Of course not, but now that we're here..."

"What? You're getting cold feet? This was your idea!"

Leonora sighed.

"I know, but this just feels... wrong, somehow."

Rei gripped her arms tightly, but not uncomfortably so.

"Look, you said there's nothing to fear from going into the forest. So we're going to go in, have a look around, then leave, ok? I won't leave your side."

Leonora heaved a sigh.

"But the baby..."

"Five minutes, that's all, ok?"

A moment of silence. Then...

"Ok."

Rei smiled, and pressed a swift kiss to her lips before taking her hand and moving in the direction of the forest that so many feared.

The temperature, which had not been particularly high to begin with, dropped even further as they entered the canopy of trees. Leonora shivered and pulled her jacket closer around her. The sparse light filtering down through the dense ceiling of leaves was just enough to illuminate a thin trail that led deeper into the forest.

"See? There's nothing to be afraid of." Rei said, squeezing her hand slightly. Leonora didn't respond, except to squeeze his hand in return.

As they ventured further into the forest, the trail became rougher and less defined as the light dimmed. Soon, Leonora was shuffling her feet along the ground to determine where the path was.

"Maybe we should go back now, Rei." she said. There was no response. "Rei?" She squeezed her hand, but to her horror, she came up empty. Her breath hitched in her chest as she realised that she was alone. She hadn't even noticed Rei leaving her side.

"Rei?" she called, her voice seeming so small in the darkness, which was becoming more sinister and oppressive by the minute. "Rei!"

There was no answer. She gave a cry as she felt something slither past her leg.

"This isn't funny anymore, Rei!" she called. "Let's go home!"

She took a step back, and gave a small scream as she tripped backward. She hit the ground hard and her hand automatically jumped to her stomach.

"Rei?"

She heard a rustling from up ahead. Squinting, she saw a man appear from between the trees, a light hovering in the air in front of him. But it wasn't Rei. This man was short, squat and mousy. Slithering along the ground next to him was an enormous snake, it's eyes glittering in the soft light.

"She's here, Master."

The man stopped a few feet from her, the light still in front of him. The snake reared up, as though surveying her.

"Yessss, she will be perfect."

Leonora tried to scream as she realised the voice had come from the snake. She tried to move back, but found herself rooted to the spot, unable to move her arms or legs. She could only watch in terror.

"Rei..."

The man chuckled, a low, cruel chuckle.

"Get on with it, Wormtail." the snake hissed. The man moved toward her, withdrawing a long, wicked-looking knife from his pocket as he approached. He knelt down by her, slicing the blade through her shirt, ripping it from her body in one fluid motion. She gasped as the cold air hit her pale flesh. The man's eyes lingered slightly on her chest before he pressed the flat of the blade against her rounded stomach. She tried to move, but it was impossible.

She cried in pain as she felt the knife sink into her flesh, cutting through her stomach. The man ignored her screams of pain, focussing on the slow, methodical, almost surgical movements of the knife through her flesh. She hadn't believed the stories about the forest, and now, it seemed, she would pay the price.

The last thing she saw was the snake lunging toward her face.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Three days later found Harry sat in the library, a book open on the desk in front of him. Spread across the rest of the desk were pages of parchment covered in his untidy scrawl, notes on the book he was reading. He had been sat there for the best part of three hours now, the candle he was working by flickering lower and lower. This was the scene that Sirius walked into while searching for Harry.

"What're you doing, Harry?" Sirius asked, grinning slightly as Harry jumped at the sudden noise.

"Just doing a little research." Harry said nonchalantly, his eyes still focussed down at the book.

"On what?" Sirius asked, walking over to the desk and picking up the book, examining the cover. " _The Application of the Dark Arts_?" Harry nodded. Sirius frowned slightly. He knew he had allowed Harry free access to the library, but he had hoped Harry would use at least a little judgment. "Why are you reading that?"

Harry spun on his chair to look directly at his godfather.

"If I'll be fighting people who are well-versed in Dark magic, then I feel I should know what I'm up against."

"Even so, you might not want to go around letting people know you're reading up on it; they might get the wrong idea."

"I know, I'll be careful. But knowing how to use the Dark Arts could be useful."

Sirius' eyes widened at this latest assertion from Harry. _Maybe letting him have full access wasn't such a good idea after all._

"Why?"

"The Dark Arts don't really seem to be Dark; it's their effects that people describe as Dark. Therefore, it's not the spell, but the person using them."

Sirius' brow furrowed.

"I think you should talk to Dumbledore about this. I'm not entirely comfortable with you teaching yourself Dark magic."

"I'm not teaching myself, I'm just researching it."

Sirius nodded, but his frown didn't subside.

"Still, you should talk to Dumbledore. If he doesn't want you to do it, then I don't want you to."

Harry sighed and nodded.

"Fine. I'll talk to him when I get back to Hogwarts."

"Thank you, Harry."

Silence reigned for a few moments s Harry closed the book and replaced it on the shelf.

"Listen, I wanted to talk to you about New Year."

Harry turned on the spot, his attention on Sirius.

"What about it?"

Sirius shuffled slightly.

"Well, I was thinking of having a party. See the New Year in, you know?" Harry nodded, but didn't say anything, so Sirius continued. "Well, if you wanted to invite Ron and Hermione, and their families, you're more than welcome to."

"Thanks, Sirius. I'll write to them tonight."

"I've invited my cousin and her husband and daughter as well. They were the only people in my family I ever found tolerable, and now that I'm free, I really want to keep in contact with them."

"That's great Sirius, really." Harry said warmly.

Sirius smiled before waving his hand at the desk, still covered in parchment.

"I'll leave you to tidy up if you're finished."

Harry nodded and began to gather up the various pieces of parchment as his godfather left the library. It was heartwarming to see his godfather attempting to have a fairly normal life, despite everything.

As he picked up the piles of parchment, he thought back to what Sirius had said. He knew as soon as he had started researching Dark magic that he would receive more than a few remarks. But as far as he saw, he would spend more than his fair share of time fighting against Dark Art users, particularly if he would be going after Voldemort. It was best to be prepared. As Dumbledore had said; knowledge is power.


	18. A Chance at a Normal Life

"Absolutely not! I refuse to go to a party at the house of an ex-convict!"

Ron took a deep, calming breath as he stood in front of his mother.

"He's not an ex-convict! He never had a trial, so he was never formally convicted!"

"The answer is still no!"

"Then what about Harry?"

"What about him?"

"Go for him. You don't even have to talk to Sirius."

Mrs Weasley was breathing deeply, while Ron stood his ground defiantly.

"Fine." Mrs Weasley said heavily, after a few moment's pause. "I'll go, for Harry."

Ron let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you."

He turned and quickly left the kitchen to dash off a reply to Harry before his mother changed her mind. Reaching the door to his bedroom, he pushed it open, grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill, and scribbled hurriedly,

 _Harry,_

 _It took a while, but Mum has agreed to come to Sirius' party. She's a bit wary of Sirius, though; you might want to give him a heads up._

 _See you Tuesday,_

 _Ron_

Folding the note, he ran back downstairs and out into the kitchen, which was now devoid of Mrs Weasley. Crossing the room, he prodded Errol awake. The owl fixed him with a bleary stare as he tied the note to his leg.

"Take this to Harry." Ron said, as he carried Errol to the window. "Off you go." he said, throwing the owl out the open window. Errol dropped about four feet before flapping its wings tiredly and ascending into the sky.

Ron shook his head as he watched the bird fly off into the distance.

 _Bloody bird._

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonks looked up from her desk as Mad-Eye knocked on the wall of her cubicle.

"Nymphadora, do you have a moment?"

"Of course." Tonks said uncertainly, wondering what she could have done. Her worry must have shown in her voice, as Mad-Eye let out a short laugh.

"Don't worry; you aren't in trouble."

Tonks made her way around her desk and fell into step with Moody as he stumped away.

"Are you ready for your final test?" Moody asked.

"More than ready." Tonks replied confidently, knowing from past experience that that was the only acceptable answer for the Auror.

Moody nodded, but made no further comment. Tonks was about to break the silence when Mad-Eye spoke again.

"I have decided to retire once your training is over."

Tonks drew up short. That was not what she had been expecting.

"Why?"

"It's long overdue. I should have retired years ago, and I'm not getting any younger."

Tonks looked at the face of her mentor. She had known him for the last three years, but only now was she noticing the worn, tired quality to his face.

"Why are you telling me this? Why not tell me when you tell everyone else?"

Moody sighed.

"Of all the recruits I have trained, you are one of the few I have seen with great potential. In some ways, you remind me of myself when I was in your position, all those years ago. Young, eager to prove myself and willing to do anything to earn my stripes, as the Muggles say."

Tonks smiled slightly in spite of herself. That was high praise indeed, coming from the grizzled warrior.

"Thank you, Mad-Eye."

Mad-Eye shrugged.

"Just don't let me down, got it?"

Tonks nodded resolutely.

"I won't."

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Sirius, will you relax?"

Sirius had spent the best part of the last fifteen minutes pacing back and forth in the foyer, glancing at the front door every few seconds.

"Sorry. I just... I don't know, it's hard to explain."

Harry smiled supportively from his seat on the bottom stair.

"Try anyway."

Sirius sighed.

"All right... When I was thrown in Azkaban, I lost everything. And even though I'm free now, I'll never be able to have a normal life. Twelve years in prison is a lot of baggage to deal with. My cousin and her family are the only thing, apart from you, that I have of my old life, and I don't want to lose them too."

"You won't lose them." Harry said confidently. "The fact that they agreed to come here tonight should testify to that."

"Sirius nodded, some confidence returning to his posture.

"You're right. I'm just over-thinking, that's all."

A knock at the door caused Sirius to spin around on the spot, almost falling over in the process. Harry laughed as he stood up and crossed the foyer to the door. Reaching out, he grasped the handle, turned it, and pulled the door open.

Standing on the doorstep were all of the Weasleys, sans Bill and Charlie, wrapped up in thick cloaks, hats, scarves and gloves.

"You made it!" Harry exclaimed, beaming as he stepped back, allowing them entry to the house. They all shuffled in quickly, eager to be out of the cold, Ron clapping Harry on the shoulder as he did so. The all removed their outer layers, hanging them on pegs on the wall by the door.

Of all the Weasleys, only Ron appeared wholly comfortable with Sirius' presence. The others were keeping their distance, but trying to look friendly at the same time, but Mrs Weasley was regarding Sirius with open hostility and suspicion.

"Sirius, you know Ron." Harry said, as no-one else seemed eager to break the silence. "And this is Ginny, Fred, George, Percy, Arthur and Molly." He pointed at each Weasley as he introduced them.

"A pleasure." Sirius said pleasantly, shaking hands with each Weasley. Mrs Weasley's eyes narrowed as Sirius proffered his hand, which she shook, albeit briefly.

"There's food and drinks in the kitchen, just through there." Harry said, pointing toward the kitchen. "Feel free to help yourself."

The Weasleys followed Harry's directions as another knock at the door signalled the arrival of more guests. Opening the door, Harry was knocked back as Hermione engulfed him in a bone-breaking hug. Harry laughed as Hermione released him.

"Hello to you too, Hermione."

Hermione grinned as she pulled off her coat. Behind her, her parents were looking around the foyer with looks of surprise on their faces. Harry smiled at them and offered his hand.

"Mr and Mrs Granger, I presume?"

The man nodded, gripping Harry's hand and shaking it firmly.

"Robert." he said, smiling at Harry.

"Emily." his wife said, also shaking Harry's hand. "Hermione's told us a great deal about you."

"All good, I hope?" Harry said, grinning at Hermione, who flushed slightly.

The Grangers laughed, but didn't respond. Sirius stepped forward, offering his hand to the Grangers.

"Sirius Black, Harry's godfather."

"A pleasure to meet you." Robert said, shaking Sirius' hand. Emily blushed slightly as Sirius brushed his lips lightly over her knuckles.

"There's food and drink in the kitchen." Harry said, motioning in the direction the Weasleys had just disappeared to. "The Weasleys are already here." he added as an aside to Hermione, who nodded and followed her parents to the kitchen.

Harry turned to Sirius.

"Just a heads-up; Mrs Weasley isn't too happy about being here, so if I were you, I'd try not to rile her up too much."

"Noted." Sirius said, glancing in the direction of the kitchen.

"Go on," Harry laughed, nudging Sirius toward the kitchen. "be sociable."

Sirius gave Harry his best imitation of a stern look before traipsing off to join the party.

Harry grinned, shaking his head. He was about to follow his godfather to the kitchen when yet another knock at the door halted his progress. Crossing once again to the door, he reached out and pulled the door open.

Three people were stood on the doorstep. A woman was stood at the front of the small group, with dark brown hair and very noble, patrician features. Next to her was a fair-haired, big-bellied man, whom Harry assumed was the woman's husband. On her other side was a woman Harry had seen in Dumbledore's office. The pink-haired Auror.

"Harry, was that the door?" came Sirius' voice, followed soon after by the man himself. An enormous grin broke out on his face as he took in the people standing by the door. "Dromeda!"

The woman laughed as Sirius pulled her into a tight hug.

"It's great to see you again, Sirius. It's been a long time."

"You're looking good, old boy." the man chuckled as Sirius hugged him as well. He had a very mellow, pleasant voice.

"Likewise." Sirius replied. He released the man and looked at Tonks. "Tonks? Merlin, you've grown a bit!"

"I'd certainly hope so." Tonks said, grinning at Sirius. "I was only seven the last time I saw you!"

She laughed as Sirius embraced her. Releasing her, he turned to Harry.

"Harry, this is my cousin, Andromeda, her husband Ted, and I believe you are already familiar with Nymphadora?"

Harry nodded, shaking hands with the latest arrivals.

"A pleasure to meet you all."

"You as well, young man."

Sirius beamed at his cousin and her family.

"Well, I do believe that everyone's here, so the party can start. Come on, everyone's in the kitchen."

The five of them set off toward the kitchen.

"So, Sirius, how's life on the other side of the bars treating you?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Harry!"

Harry turned at the sound of his name and saw Hermione dashing over to him.

"Hey, Hermione."

"Hi! Nymphadora, wasn't it?" Hermione asked Tonks, who nodded.

"Just Tonks is fine, thank my mother for the name."

Hermione nodded before returning her attention to Harry.

"Sirius said there's a library here?"

Harry's head dropped as he sighed.

"Come on, Hermione. You're at a party, and you want to go to a library?"

"Just a quick look? Please?"

Harry sighed and looked at Tonks.

"Do you mind?"

Tonks shook her head.

"Go ahead."

"Sorry." Harry said apologetically. "Come on, then."

Hermione grinned as Harry led her out of the kitchen. Tonks shook her head, smiling slightly as she crossed the room to where Sirius was now regaling Ron and the Weasley twins with tales of his pranking exploits while at Hogwarts.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"This is amazing!"

Harry smiled as Hermione stared at the shelves of books, mouth hanging slightly open.

"I thought you'd like it."

"Like it?" Hermione said, slightly breathless. "You're _so_ lucky."

"It's the entire Black family library." Harry explained. "There's books on everything here. Defensive magic, magical theory, runes, alchemy, Dark Arts..."

"Dark Arts?" Hermione said, her head spinning around to face Harry, wincing as her neck cricked. "And Sirius just lets you read what you like?"

"Yeah, and that reaction was exactly what I was expecting." Harry said. "Don't worry; I'm not going to pull a Tom Riddle on you guys."

Hermione laughed uneasily.

"Sure, okay."

"I promise you, I will never go dark." Harry said, gripping her arms gently.

"I believe you."

Harry let out a soft sigh.

"Thanks, Hermione. That means a lot."

A bell chimed somewhere in the depths of the house, followed shortly by cheers from the kitchen.

"Midnight." Harry mused, looking at his watch. "We should probably get back."

Hermione nodded.

"Yeah, wouldn't want people to talk."

 **A/N:** **As much as I am loathe to add Author's Notes to stories halfway through, there is something related to this story that I need to address, and it is something that may be unpopular with many of you.**

 **When I first started this story, many moons ago, it was in response to a Story Challenge. I did adapt some of the criteria, but there is one part that I feel the need to change, and that is the part regarding Harry's relationship with Tonks.**

 **As it stands, I have up to Chapter 47 written, and due to the nature of the story, Harry and Tonks still are not together. This leaves me in a difficult position, one which means that I am considering dropping the Harry/Tonks pairing altogether. The long time between updates is a symptom of this, as I have been plotting and writing future events without the Harry/Tonks ship.**

 **My reasoning is threefold. Firstly, the nature of the story means that it will be a long time before they get together, and therefore the story becomes a trial of patience for you, the reader. Secondly, it is very limiting for me, as the writer, in that I cannot move the story along quicker without removing certain elements or rushing through. Finally, it adds too much determinism to the story. I cannot write Harry as having relationships with anyone other than Tonks, as we all know that they will not work out, and I therefore lose any unpredictability.**

 **With all that being said, I am hereby dropping the Harry/Tonks romantic relationship story arc. I know that there are many of you that will be disappointed by this, and for that, I truly apologise, and will understand if you decide to abandon this story, though I hope you will stay and see it through to the end.**

 **Sincerest apologies,**

 **X-Shadow-of-Darkness-X**


	19. Congratulations, Auror Tonks

_Harry,_

 _If you are agreeable, I should like to see you tomorrow afternoon in my office. The password has remained the same._

 _Hoping you had a thoroughly enjoyable Christmas,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

-x-x-x-x-x-

Once he was back at Hogwarts, Harry made his way along the familiar route to Dumbledore's office. Passing the gargoyle, Harry swiftly climbed the spiral staircase and knocked on the door.

"Enter."

Harry pushed the door open to see Dumbledore moving the chest containing the Boggart to the far wall. He looked up at the sound of the door opening.

"Ah, Harry. Excellent! Please, take a seat."

Harry settled himself in his customary seat as Dumbledore sat himself down in his own chair on the other side of the desk.

"So, Harry, did you have an enjoyable Christmas?" Dumbledore asked, eyes twinkling.

"Better than enjoyable." Harry said, grinning in spite of himself. "It felt good to have a Christmas that actually like how Christmas should feel."

"You got along well with Sirius then, I take it?" Harry nodded. "Good. And did you manage to get any time to do some reading?"

Harry paused for a moment, Sirius' words ringing in his ears.

"Well, I did a little reading on the Dark Arts."

Dumbledore's eyes narrowed slightly, his face turning slightly stern, but when he spoke, his tone was still light and pleasant.

"I see. May I ask why you chose such a subject?"

"Well," Harry said, his answer already prepared. "if I'm going to be fighting the Dark Arts, I felt I should know as much as possible about what I'm fighting. Also, while I was reading about Intention Theory, it said that Dark magic was only labelled as such after it was utilised by Dark witches and wizards. It said that there is no distinction between light and dark magic; they are one and the same. It's not the spell that's Dark; it's how it's wielded."

Dumbledore was silent for a moment, regarding Harry closely over the top of his glasses. Reaching out with his mind, he skimmed Harry's surface thoughts, finding no sign of subterfuge. He relaxed slightly, finding no sinister ulterior motives behind the boy's proclamation.

"Very well, Harry. But I must ask you to exercise caution; there is a fine line between use and abuse, be sure not to lose sight of it. Greater witches and wizards than you have fallen prey to the Dark Arts."

Harry nodded firmly.

"I'll be careful, sir."

Dumbledore nodded, his face relaxing back into it's original serene expression.

"Well, Harry, the main reason I asked you here was to see if your experiences over the Christmas holidays have had any effect on your magic, in particular your Patronus."

Harry nodded. He had expected as much.

"You think they might, sir?"

"I'm certainly hoping so." Dumbledore stood up, walking around his desk into the middle of the office, Harry mirroring his actions. Dumbledore waved his wand, and the various stools and other assorted objects flew back against the walls, leaving a large, empty space in the middle of the floor.

"Firstly," Dumbledore said, as Harry drew his wand. "I would like to see how your normal magic has progressed."

"I thought you were only interested in my Patronus?" Harry asked.

"Your emotions fuel all your magic, not just a Patronus." Dumbledore explained. "As the Patronus Charm is the most magically exhausting, I am saving that for last."

"I see, sir."

"As I was saying, I would like to do a couple of basic combat drills with you." Dumbledore said. "I will fire a Stunning Spell at you. I would like you to block or deflect it, then Disarm me. Do you think you can do that?"

"Absolutely." Harry said, nodding confidently. Dumbledore smiled slightly, before his arm whipped up, his wand pointing directly at Harry's chest.

" _Stupefy_!"

A jet of red light shot through the air toward Harry. Harry tensed slightly, then whipped his own wand up, deflecting the jet of light away and into the ceiling. He allowed his momentum to carry him through the full 360 degrees before pointing his wand at Dumbledore.

" _Expelliarmus_!"

Dumbledore batted the spell aside before directing his wand back to Harry, firing another Stunning Spell. Harry, who had not been expecting the retaliatory spell, tried to duck out of the way, but he was too slow. He winced as he felt his back slam against the stone floor. Looking up, he could see Dumbledore shaking his head slightly.

"Whilst I appreciate the showmanship with your little twirl," he said, smiling as Harry got to his feet. "that gave me time to anticipate your next attack. As this was a drill, I merely used a Stunning Spell. In a real combat situation, however, your attacker would not be so forgiving."

"Sorry, sir." Harry said, rubbing his upper arm gingerly.

"That's not to say you shouldn't implement such a technique in a real situation. If you are surrounded, for instance, such a move may well prove effective in warding off unexpected attacks."

Harry nodded.

"Can we try again?"

"Of course, my dear boy."

Harry settled himself into a ready stance, gaze firmly fixed on Dumbledore, waiting. Without warning, Dumbledore's wand flicked up, another jet of light escaping the end. Once again, Harry deflected the jet into the wall, immediately firing another Disarming Charm at the headmaster, confident that he had disarmed the wizard. This confidence was short-lived, however, as Dumbledore reflected the charm straight back at Harry, who only just managed to move out of the way.

"Better." Dumbledore said, smiling. Harry grinned, though kept his eyes fixed on the headmaster. His vigilance was rewarded when Dumbledore loosed yet another Stunner his way. This time, Harry sent the Stunner flying straight back at Dumbledore, immediately following up with a Disarming Charm. Dumbledore, who had not been expecting the spell to be returned to him, was caught off-guard. He succeeded in deflecting the Stunner, but his jaw dropped as his wand sailed out of his hand, landing in Harry's, a large grin plastered on the boy's face.

"Very impressive, Harry." Dumbledore said, crossing the room to retrieve his wand. "You're learning quickly." Harry simply shrugged.

"I can't afford not to." he said, giving the wand back to Dumbledore.

"Very true." Dumbledore said, returning to his original position. "This time, I'd like you to erect a Shield Charm. I will then have two and a half minutes to attempt to break through it. In order for the shield to stand that long, you must bolster it with your emotions. When you cast it, you must immerse yourself in the various positive emotions you experienced over the Christmas holidays. Do you think you can do that?"

"Of course, sir."

Dumbledore nodded.

"When you're ready, then."

Harry closed his eyes, allowing his memories of Christmas to wash over him. Joy, happiness, mirth, excitement, anticipation, all flowed through him in a torrent. He raised his wand.

" _Protego_!"

He took an involuntary step back as an invisible wall seemed to explode into existence in front of him. He continued to push his emotions and memories into the shield, strengthening it.

Dumbledore smiled as he felt the shield expand, gaining in strength with each passing second. He raised his wand.

Harry felt, rather than saw, Dumbledore's spells crashing against his shield. Each one seemed to chip away at a tiny area of the shield, which was almost instantaneously replaced by another piece of shield, fuelled by the memories and emotions he was still pouring into the shield. The feeling was exhilarating. It was as if he were experiencing every little detail again and again, almost on a loop, though the emotions felt incredibly stronger, impossibly so.

"HARRY!"

Harry's eyes flew open at the sound of the headmaster's voice. Almost instantly, the feelings dissipated, leaving him feeling almost empty. He swayed slightly, feeling slightly dazed.

"Are you okay?" Dumbledore asked, his voice full of concern. Harry nodded.

"That was... that was..."

"Intense?" Dumbledore offered.

"Yeah."

Dumbledore smiled slightly.

"When you imbue your magic with emotions like you just did, it strengthens your magic, which in turn makes the emotions sharper, more defined. This creates a greater reserve from which you can draw power. Muggle biologists refer to this as positive feedback."

"They felt so real..." Harry said, rubbing his temples slightly. "How long did I last?"

"Nearly quarter of an hour." Dumbledore said, chuckling at the horrified look on Harry's face. "That's why I stopped you. You could very well have magically exhausted yourself."

"Quarter of an hour?" Harry repeated. "It only felt like a minute, two at most."

"If you had kept your eyes open, you would have noticed the time passing."

"Did you know that would happen?" Harry asked, though he was sure he already knew the answer.

"I did." Dumbledore said, nodding. "I felt it prudent for you to find out about it under my supervision now, rather than on your own later, where the results could have been decidedly worse."

"I need to sit down for a moment." Harry said. Dumbledore nodded in understanding.

"Of course."

Harry sank down into the chair, rubbing his head.

"We can stop here if you wish." Dumbledore said. "We can take a look at your Patronus next time."

Harry weighed up his options. The last exercise had gone a long way toward tiring him out, and he was well aware of how tiring casting the Patronus Charm was.

"I think we should leave it there, sir."

Dumbledore nodded.

"Of course, Harry. Get some rest, and I'll let you know when we shall be meeting again."

Harry stood, pocketing his wand as he went and walked over to the door.

"Thank you, sir."

Dumbledore simply smiled.

"You're very welcome, Harry."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Far away, a man darted between the rows of houses. His eyes darted this way and that, constantly on the lookout. A wand was clutched in his hand, ready to be used at a moment's notice.

The sharp, tight clacking of stiletto heels caught the man's attention. He span round, raising the wand.

A young woman rounded the corner, stumbling drunkenly as she did so. She wore a ridiculously short black dress, and clutched a small bag in her hands.

 _Perfect._

"Hellooo!" the woman screeched, as she noticed the man. He raised his wand.

" _Petrificus Totalus!_ "

The woman dropped to the floor as the jet of light struck her in the chest. The man strode forward, levitating the woman in front of him. She would not be seen again.

His objective was coming closer. He could see the light coming from one of the rooms near the top of the house. Checking his surroundings, he pushed the gate open and stealthily made his way to the front door. He tapped his wand on the door, which opened almost immediately. Quickly and quietly, he slipped inside, closing the door behind him.

Soft, flickering light emanated from old Muggle lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling, illuminating the dingy surroundings.

A soft hissing and the sensation of something passing very close to his leg made him jump and look down. A large snake was cutting a swath through the thick layer of dust, heading toward the stairs. Pointing his wand, he dropped the woman unceremoniously on the floor.

He followed the trail carved out by the snake as it led him upstairs. He could hear voices now, and a flickering light shone from a room near the top.

Finally reaching the room, he pushed the door open, striding in confidently. There were only two other people in the room. One, short, fat and balding. The other was wrapped in a bundle of cloths, propped up in an old leather seat. Ignoring the man who was now starting to cower away from him, the man dropped to his knees in front of the seat.

"Ah, Barty. Excellent." a voice hissed from the chair.

Bartemius Crouch Jr grinned maniacally as he bowed his head.

"My Lord."

"I trust you found someone?" The voice was high, cold and cruel.

"I did."

"Good. Put them with the others."

-x-x-x-x-x-

 _ **Three months later…**_

Tonks stood nervously with the other Auror recruits, absentmindedly brushing an errant strand of hair away from her face. This was it, the final test. If she passed this final obstacle, she would leave the Ministry that day a fully qualified Auror. This moment was what she had been working towards the last three years.

Mad-Eye stumped to the front of the group, regarding them all with his magical eye before speaking.

"You are here because you are the best. Now, it is time to prove to me _why_ you are the best." He stared hard at the group. Tonks felt her stomach clench unpleasantly. "This final exercise will test everything you have learnt from your training." He jabbed his thumb over his shoulder. "Through that door is a combat simulation room. Your objective is to infiltrate and then defend a manor. You must hold the manor for the duation of a counterattack, or until you are killed, whichever comes first. If you are killed, you will fail the exercise.

"Any questions?" No one spoke. "Good." He drew his wand and flicked it at the door. "In you go, then."

Tonks took a calming breath and followed the other recruits in.

Tonks looked around at her surroundings as the door slammed shut behind them. They appeared to be at the bottom of a large hill, perched atop it a large manor, reminiscent of old English castles. Lights could be seen flickering in the windows, and ghostly silhouettes could be seen patrolling just outside the walls.

One of the recruits, Lynd, turned to the group.

"Ideas?"

Tonks thought for a moment.

"A frontal approach won't be of any use." she said, looking around at her comrades. "If we damage the manor, it'll make it more difficult to hold it."

Lynd nodded.

"True. So, what do you suggest?"

"If a small group of us sneak in, we can open the front gates for the rest of you."

"How many do you need?"

Tonks considered for a moment.

""Three or four. Any more than that and we risk attracting unwanted attention."

"Fine." He turned back to the rest of the group, sizing them up. "Right. Smith, Tyler and Owen, you're with Tonks. The rest of us wait here until they get the doors open."

Two men and a woman detached themselves from the main body of the group, crossing to stand by Tonks. By unspoken instructions, the group all drew their wands.

" _Communicatio Mentalia!_ "

Tonks winced slightly as a high frequency whine pierced through her skull for a moment. After it had subsided, she looked at her team.

 _Contact check_ , she projected, waiting for a response. The responses came almost immediately, each one crystal clear, unobscured by the sounds around them. She glanced at Lynd, who nodded.

 _Let's move out. Keep chatter to a minimum._

Tonks led her small team around the base of the hill, toward the back of the manor, eyes constantly roaming over the ground, searching for guards.

 _Over there, by the tree._

 _He's mine._ she heard in her head. She watched as Tyler stalked forward before unleashing a silent Stunner, catching the guard as he fell. As soon as the guard was hidden behind the tree, Tonks motioned.

 _Keep going._

The group made it to the back of the manor with no problems, something that disturbed Tonks greatly.

 _That was too easy; be on your guard._

The strike team crouched in the shadows, looking up at the back doors.

 _I'll go in and clear it. Wait for me to tell you it's safe._ Tonks projected. She raised her wand and Disillusioned herself before moving swiftly across the small expanse of grass to the door.

The door was guarded by one lone man. Tonks loosed a silent Full Body Bind Curse at him as she ran for the door. Kneeling by the door, she waved her wand, checking for defences. To her surprise, she could only detect a simple locking charm. Frowning, she examined the lock more closely. Sure enough, she could just make out small runes scratched into the metal.

She deflated slightly. Runes and warding was not her strong suit.

 _Owen, the lock's warded. I need your help._

She cancelled the Disillusionment Charm as Owen hurried over, crouching down next to her to examine the lock.

 _Clever._ Owen's voice resounded in her head.

 _What is it?_ she asked, her eyes scanning around, checking for any extra guards.

 _The ward net is keyed into any form of Unlocking Charm. As best I can tell from a cursory inspection, casting such a charm will set off an alarm._

 _Can you bypass it?_

Owen shook his head.

 _It'd take too long. We need another way in._ He cast his gaze around, before settling on the window. _We could smash the window and go in that way._

 _What about the noise?_

 _Silencing Charm?_

Tonks considered for a moment. While Mad-Eye hadn't stipulated a time limit, she knew from several previous training exercises that the grizzled Auror did not look favourably on the recruits taking too long with their exercises. However, she was equally reluctant to leave any structural weaknesses behind them.

After a moment of consideration, she made up her mind.

 _We go through the window._

Owen nodded and scuttled, crablike, toward the window, coming to a halt on the far side. Tonks took up a position on the closer side, wand held ready. She waited as Owen cast a Silencing Charm around the window.

 _On 3. 1, 2, 3!_

The window exploded inwards in a shower of glass. Immediately, Tonks grabbed the pane, vaulting into the room, biting back a cry of pain as a few errant shards of glass dug into her palm.

As soon as her feet hit the floor, she brought her wand up, casting Stunning Spells in every direction. Owen clambered in soon after, adding his own spells to the fray.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Rufus Scrimgeour leant against the back of a chair, watching the magical projection with great interest.

"Very impressive." he commented. Moody nodded.

"She's one of the best. I must admit, I'm starting to regret telling her she wouldn't be involved in field work."

Rufus chuckled.

"Going soft in your old age, Alastor?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

 _All right, enough!_

Tonks lowered her wand, looking around the room. The lone lightbulb dangling from the ceiling was swinging wildly, causing the shadows on the walls to flicker and jump erratically. Four men were sprawled on the floor, wands either still in or half out of their holsters. One man was lying in a large pool of blood by the window. Owen knelt down next to him.

 _Looks like he was right by the window when it exploded._

Tonks nodded before summoning the rest of the strike team. Smith and Tyler climbed through the windows moments later. Owen flicked his wand at the shards of glass littering the floor. With a soft tinkling, they flew together and refitted themselves within the pane.

 _Lynd, we're in. Get ready to move._

 _Got it._

Tonks adjusted her grip on her wand, peering out into what appeared to be a hallway. The team snuck quickly through the manor, quietly and efficiently disposing of any guards they encountered along the way.

Finally, they reached what Tonks assumed was a foyer. Casting a quick look around, she could see no immediate threat. She half walked, half ran over to the front door, casting detection spells as she went.

 _There aren't any security spells here._

 _Makes sense._ Tyler responded. _They need to stop people getting in, not getting out._

Tonks waved her wand, unlocking the door and pushing it slightly ajar.

 _Okay Lynd, get in here._

She stepped back, eyes roving over the various entrances to the foyer, wand held ready. Her head whipped round as the front door creaked, relaxing slightly as she saw Lynd and the other five recruits filing in.

 _Any problems?_ Lynd asked. Tonks shook her head.

 _No, we just need to clear the rest of the manor._

Lynd drew his wand, pushing the door closed and locking it.

 _We need to split up. Check every room. Wilson, stay here and keep an eye out for that counterattack._

Wilson nodded, moving over to the window that looked out over the front of the manor and Disillusioned himself. Lynd nodded approvingly.

 _Good. Let's move._

-x-x-x-x-x-

"They're doing well." Scrimgeour observed.

"So far." Moody replied. "They're only halfway home."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonks ascended the stairs as quietly as she could manage, wand gripped tightly, ears straining for the slightest sound. At the landing, she parted ways with Lynd, who moved off to inspect the rooms on the mezzanine level while Tonks ventured down a hallway alone, toward the single door at the end.

Tentatively, she pushed the door open, springing in, aiming her wand around. No one there. Nodding, she stepped back out.

She didn't see the man behind the door. But he saw her.

She was halfway back down the hallway before she realised her mistake. A slightly muffled footfall behind her caught her attention. Instinctively, she dropped to the floor as a Stunning Spell whizzed over her head. She rolled, bringing her wand up and firing off another Full Body Bind curse. She felt a grim satisfaction as her assailant's limbs snapped together and he fell over backwards, hitting the ground with a dull thud.

Tonks quickly scrambled to her feet, brushing herself off. Hoping the blunder wouldn't count against her too much, she tied the man's wrists and ankles and levitated him back to the room, locking the door behind her.

 _Manor is secure._ she heard Lynd's voice reverberate around her head. _Meet back in the foyer._

Tonks checked around her one last time before making her way back down the hall.

The rest of the recruits were already there by the time she rejoined them.

"Right, we need a plan of action for defending this place." Lynd said, dispensing with the mental contact; there was no need of it now. "I would say one person at each entrance, but I'm open to suggestions."

"Is one person enough?" Hardy asked. "What if they get overrun? The rest of us'll be completely blindsided."

"Good point." Lynd said ruefully, scratching his chin. "Fine, two to three people per entrance. Concentrate on the main entrances; don't bother with the rooms upstairs."

"They're coming." came Wilson's voice from the window. "Better get a move on."

"Got it. Tonks, I want you and Hardy here with me. The rest of you, spread out in groups. Tyler, Owen and Woods, go outside and try to stop them reaching the doors."

A multitude of affirmatives filled the silence before they split up and went their separate ways.

"How many do you think, Wilson?" Tonks asked, as she crouched by the door.

"Twenty, at most."

"Perfect," Hardy said, grinning. "two each."

"This isn't a game, Hardy!" Lynd snapped.

"I was only joking." Hardy said, casting his eyes downward. Tonks wanted to laugh, but the look on Lynd's face convinced her otherwise.

"Here they come."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Owen watched as the group climbed the hill at a steady pace.

"Shields Charms on the doors on my count, ready?" he whispered. Tyler and Woods raised their wands.

"Ready."

"One, two, three!"

The air in front of the manor shimmered slightly as the shields materialised. The incoming group didn't seem to have noticed, but they still ground to a halt. They seemed to be discussing something, but at this distance, Owen couldn't make out what they were saying.

However, that soon became apparent. As one, the group all drew their wands, aiming them at the doors. By some unspoken signal, a volley of Blasting Curses were sent soaring toward the manor. Before they got anywhere near close, however, their progress was impeded by the recruits' Shield Charms. Tyler let out an involuntary gasp as she felt the pull on her magic.

"NOW!" Owen shouted, as he fired a Stunning Spell into the midst of the group. One of the attackers was sent flying off his feet, bowling over two of his comrades before tumbling down the hill. The recruit didn't stop to admire his handiwork, instead firing another Stunner. Jets of light streaking past his head informed him that Tyler and Woods had joined him in the ambush.

However, the numbers game soon caught up to the Auror recruits. Quickly overcoming their initial shock and surprise at the sudden attack, the assailants responded in force, firing all manner of curses towards the recruits, forcing them on the defensive.

A jet of green light streaked through the air toward Owen. He tried to avoid it, but he was too slow. The jet slammed into his chest. There was a flash of light, and he found himself on the floor of the room outside the combat simulator, Moody and Scrimgeour standing over him.

 _Oh, shit._

-x-x-x-x-x-

The sounds of battle, while muffled, were still loud in the silence that pervaded the manor. Tonks listened as the sound of shouts and cries mixed with explosions found their way through the door.

"Should we go out there and help them?" Hardy asked.

"No, they're doing their job, we need to do ours." Lynd responded, though he seemed conflicted.

"So we just have to let them sacrifice themselves?" Hardy asked, staring at Lynd in disbelief.

"What would you do, Hardy? Risk everyone else and the mission in the desperate hope that it'll help them?"

"How about this?" Tonks interjected quickly. "I'll take a few people from the other posts and flank the intruders. Everyone else stays here in case the worst should happen."

Lynd considered for a moment.

"Fine. Take Wilson, Smith and Edwards. The rest of us will stay here in case they get through."

"Keep in contact." Tonks said as she stood. Wilson reappeared by the window as he cancelled his Disillusionment Charm.

"Will do."

Tonks motioned to Wilson.

"Let's go."

As the two moved off through the manor, Lynd looked at Hardy.

"Move to the windows."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonks hugged the wall as she sidled around to the front of the manor, her wand held ready. As she peered around the corner, she could see Woods and Tyler doing their best to repel the near-constant barrage of spells being flung their way.

"What's your plan?" Wilson asked as he moved next to her.

"Disarming Charms followed by Stunners." Tonks replied, taking a quick count of the attacking force. Owen's team had done a good job of thinning the ranks somewhat; she could only count eleven men remaining.

"Got it." Wilson turned to the other two. "You get that?" Smith and Edwards nodded. "Good." He turned back to Tonks. "Whenever you're ready."

Tonks nodded, readjusted her grip on her wand and took a deep breath.

"NOW!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Rufus Scrimgeour, Tonks had to admit, cut an imposing figure. A long mane of hair framed his shrewd, calculating face. His yelowish eyes behind wire-rimmed glasses scrutinised the recruits closely. His hands were clasped in front of him as he paced before them, his back ramrod straight.

There were only six recruits left, other than Tonks. Lynd, Wilson, Tyler, Edwards, Davenport and Burgh were the only recruits who had completed the mission along with her. The others had already been dismissed, foisted at the final hurdle.

"I must say, the way you all handled yourselves, both within the simulation, as well as throughout your training has been nothing short of incredible. I am sure each of you will be a credit to the Auror Office. Congratulations to all of you."

Tonks felt a rush of excitement course through her body. It may have taken a lot out of her, but she had finally done it. Three years, countless hours and every conceivable emotion had led her to this moment. Finally, her dream was about to become true.

Unbidden, the faces of those who had fallen during the training swam to the forefront of her mind. Singh, Hawthorne, Williams, Owen, Smith, Hardy, Lucas, Dashford. All had been stopped, some at the very last moment. She couldn't begin to imagine how they must have felt.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of Moody stumping forward.

"I wish to add my congratulations to Rufus'. You have passed because you are the best. I sincerely hope you live up to that. Go and clean yourselves up, then proceed to the main office to collect your robes."

As Tonks moved toward the door, she found her way blocked by Scrimgeour.

"Ms. Tonks, a word, if I may?"

"Of course, sir." she replied, slightly apprehensive. She followed as Rufus led her away from the main group.

"Alastor has informed me that he told you you were to be kept from field work. Is that correct?"

Tonks' eyes dropped to the floor.

"It is, sir."

Scrimgeour nodded.

"As Head of the Auror Office, I am hereby reversing that decision."

Tonks' head snapped up.

"Really?"

"Your skills are too valuable for you to be stuck pushing papers behind a desk. We need people with your talents in the field." Scrimgeour explained. "Moody's punishment will instead be classed as a disciplinary on your file."

"Thank you, sir." Tonks said, her voice dripping with relief.

Scrimgeour smiled.

"You're very welcome. Now, go and get your robes. We've received reports of magical fluctuations in a Muggle village. We're sending a team in to investigate."

"Straight away, sir." Tonks said.

Scrimgeour nodded, motioning toward the door.

"Excellent. Congratulations, Auror Tonks."


	20. The Encroaching Darkness

A few days later, Harry, Ron and Hermione were seated in the Great Hall, eating breakfast and chatting about nothing in particular when their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of the morning post. Harry didn't look up; he wasn't expecting anyone to write to him. Therefore, he was rather surprised when a large, unfamiliar tawny owl landed in front of him, knocking over his goblet of pumpkin juice. He drew his wand and cleared the liquid from the table before removing the letter from the owl's leg. As soon as it was relieved of it's cargo, the owl gave a soft hoot and fluttered off, knocking over the goblet Harry had just picked up and flinging a large amount of scrambled egg at Neville with the gust from it's wings.

Harry looked over the envelope, noting the slightly untidy scrawl on the front. Drawing his wand again, he cast several different Detection Charms on the envelope, but found nothing sinister about it. His brow furrowing slightly, he slid his finger under the flap and opened the letter.

 _Harry,_

 _I did it! I passed Auror training! Sirius said we're going to be having a party to celebrate over Easter. It would be great if you could come. Ask Dumbledore and let me or Sirius know ASAP._

 _Tonks_

Harry smiled as he folded the note and slipped it into his pocket.

"Who was that from?" Hermione asked as she refilled Harry's goblet with pumpkin juice.

"Tonks." Harry replied, taking a sip from the goblet. "She passed her Auror training."

"Wow," Hermione said, her eyes widening slightly. "that's meant to be some pretty tough training."

"So she said." Harry said, loading his fork with scrambled egg. "Sirius is throwing a party over Easter for her."

"He's really getting into the whole 'family life' thing, isn't he?" Ron said, grinning slightly.

"I think he thinks he owes it to my parents." Harry said thoughtfully. "Maybe he feels that he let them down by getting thrown in Azkaban and he wants to make up for it."

"That makes sense." Hermione nodded sagely.

Harry was about to continue eating when another owl landed in front of him, admittedly with a lot more grace than Tonks' owl had done. It held out its leg, and Harry saw the neat, curling script of Dumbledore's handwriting. Reaching out, he took the letter from the owl, which took off immediately. Sliding his finger under the flap of the second envelope, he tore it open, to be greeted by an alarmingly loud bang and puff of smoke. Silence reigned for a moment as every eye in the hall turned to Harry, then a soft giggle rang out before the various conversations started up again. Harry, slightly ashen-faced, pulled the parchment out of the envelope and began to read.

 _Harry,_

 _If it is convenient for you, would you please come to my office this evening._

 _Sincerely,_

 _Albus Dumbledore_

 _PS. Do not assume that your mail is harmless, regardless of whom you may think it is from._

Harry finished reading and looked up at the staff table. Dumbledore was looking straight at him, chuckling slightly, his eyes twinkling. Harry gave him an embarrassed smile and nodded, holding up the note. Dumbledore returned the nod and resumed eating as Harry tucked the note in his pocket.

"Hopefully, I can finish eating now."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Cornelius Fudge looked around at the delegates from the French and Bulgarian Ministries, as well as several high-ranking members of the International Confederation of Wizards. This was a historic moment, one that he was not going to let pass him by.

"Welcome, everyone. Now that everyone is present, we can get down to business, namely, the Triwizard Tournament."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Kingsley Shacklebolt drew his wand as he led his small team through the back alleys of Little Hangleton. An exclusively Muggle village, the sudden spike in the village's magical signature had given the Ministry sufficient cause for concern. Kingsley wasn't expecting much; it was very likely the spike had been caused by a magical family moving into the area. Still, they had to be certain.

"Croaker, do you see anything?"

A man dressed in dark black robes stepped forward, detaching himself from the small huddle of navy blue that was the Aurors' uniforms. He looked around, his eyes glowing slightly in the gloom. An Unspeakable from the Department of Mysteries, Croaker possessed a rare genetic disorder that allowed him to 'see' magical auras. As such, his services were often called upon by the Auror Office when investigating magical disturbances.

"Up there." he said after a moment of silence, pointing up at a house. Kingsley followed his finger, casting a wary look over the building. It didn't seem to be any different to the other houses around them, but Kingsley knew better than to second guess the Unspeakable.

"Anything you can tell me about it?" Kingsley asked, not taking his eyes off the house.

"A deep red aura." Croaker replied. "That means Dark magic. I would advise caution."

Kingsley nodded, before turning back to the four Aurors he had brought along.

"All right,, guys. Croaker says there's powerful Dark magic in and around the house. That means this mission just got a lot more dangerous. Wands ready, and watch your back, we're going in."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Barty Crouch slipped into the fortress that was Azkaban prison with minimal difficulty. After the debacle that was Sirius Black's escape, the Ministry had decided to augment the Dementor presence with guards, usually those who had failed to qualify as a Hit Wizard or Auror. That would work in his favour tonight.

Silently Stunning a guard as he came around the corner, Barty crouched and checked his watch, noting the time with a small smile. Pettigrew should have managed to relocate along with the Dark Lord. The amount of Dark magic that had been cast in the Riddle House was sure to have attracted the attention of the Ministry, and Barty had felt it prudent to vacate the place lest their plans be scuppered before they could even begin. Still, he had left the Aurors a parting gift.

He moved swiftly and silently through the dark corridors, wand held at the ready. He forced himself to ignore the chill that was now seeping into his bones, instead continuing to forge his way through the prison until he reached an imposing metal door. Standing, he directed his wand at the door, raising an arm to protect his face.

" _Bombarda!_ "

The door flew open with a force of a cannon, crashing off the wall with a resounding boom.

"What in the name of Merlin was that?"

Barty whipped round as the sound of pounding footsteps reached his ears. Raising his wand again, he waited, licking his lips in anticipation. Two guards came hurtling around a corner. They skidded to a halt as they saw Barty, their eyes wide.

Barty didn't give them time to decide what to do. Four muttered words and two seconds later, both guards dropped to the floor as jets of green light struck them squarely in the chest. Barty left the bodies where they lay. Turning back to the door, he walked through into the high security area of the prison.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Clear!" Savage called as he exited another room in the house.

"Clear!" came Tonks's voice from further down the hall.

Kingsley frowned as he scratched his chin. Their small team had spent the best part of an hour combing through the house, searching every nook and cranny, and had so far come up short. And they were running out of rooms to search. The enormity of the Dark magic signature was the only thing that had kept him from calling it a day already, and he was loathe to leave without discovering the cause.

"If we haven't found anything yet, I don't think we will." Croaker said. Kingsley sighed.

"Fine. We'll come back another time." He raised his voice. "That's it, people. We're moving out."

A few minutes later, the team had reassembled in front of him.

"We didn't find anything, sir." Proudfoot reported. Kingsley nodded.

"I didn't think so. We'll send another team out here another day."

Quickly, the Aurors left the house, though they kept their wands held loosely at their sides. They filed out of the front door and huddled on the porch as Kingsley closed the door. He turned back round, and froze.

A woman in a short black dress was stood in the middle of the path, staring straight at the group. Kingsley reached out and pushed Williamson's wand down.

"Can we help you, ma'am?" he asked cautiously as he approached.

No response.

"Ma'am?"

Nothing.

"Savage, Stun and Obliviate her." Kingsley ordered. Savage walked forward, raising his wand, but quickly ground to a halt as the woman raised her left hand, palm towards the Aurors. Kingsley could see what appeared to be a tattoo in the centre of her palm.

"Savage..." Kingsley said, raising his own wand.

A jet of light shot from the woman's palm, grazing past Savage.

"DOWN!"

-x-x-x-x-x-

Barty moved quickly through the prison, either Stunning or killing the guards as he passed. He had one goal in his mind; he wasn't going to let anything stand in his way.

As he turned a corner, he stopped. He knew this corridor. He was close.

He stepped up his pace as he began counting cell doors.

 _Nine. Ten. Eleven..._

He stopped and looked through the bars of the cell.

A woman was sat with her back to the far wall, staring into space, giggling to herself. Her dark hair was wild and tangled and her eyes were set deep in their sockets. He smiled.

"Good evening, Bellatrix."

-x-x-x-x-x-

That evening, when Harry entered the Headmaster's office, instead of his usual position behind his desk, Dumbledore was sitting on a stool, staring at a silver instrument, above which was floating a large, pulsating orb, shifting colour from red to blue, deep in concentration.

"Sir?" Harry asked hesitantly, unsure of whether or not he was interrupting.

Dumbledore looked up.

"Ah, Harry. Come; sit."

Harry pulled a stool over to the small table, settling himself down on it. Dumbledore was quiet for a moment.

"Do you know what this is, Harry?" he finally asked.

"No, sir." Harry replied honestly.

"This is a smaller version of a device they have at the Department of Mysteries. It reacts to changes in the ambient magic of the country. The red symbolises Dark magic. At the height of the last war, this was nearly constantly red. Since then, it has only flashed red occasionally. It hasn't acted like this in a long time."

"So what does that mean?"

Dumbledore sighed heavily.

"It means... that dark days are on the horizon."

Harry gazed into the orb, slightly mesmerised by the pulsating colours. Up until that moment, he hadn't really considered the consequences of his decision to join the Order of the Phoenix. He had known that it was the right thing, the _only_ thing to do, but now, he could see for himself that his tutelage under the headmaster was necessary. He felt something inside him as he stared, his resolve strengthening. He would never let that orb turn fully scarlet again.

Dumbledore cleared his throat, bringing Harry out of his reverie.

"The reason I called you here tonight," the headmaster started said, "was to teach you a technique that I feel would be most prudent for you to learn."

"Yes sir?"

"I will forewarn you now that it is a very advanced skill, one that I do not expect you to pick up right away, but I do expect you to take the time every day to practice." Dumbledore said, fixing Harry with his piercing blue stare, his tone making it clear that this was an instruction to be followed to the letter.

"I will be teaching you how to become attuned to the natural magic of the world." Dumbledore started, as Harry adjusted his position on the small stool. "Once mastered, you will be able to sense changes in the ambient magic of a place, draw on power from the environment, and even recognise individual magical signatures. As I said, this is very advanced magic, so far beyond NEWT level that you would be hard pressed to find literature on the subject, ancient as it is."

Dumbledore paused for a moment, ensuring that Harry was fully aware of what he was saying.

"To do this, you must enter a state of magical meditation. You must open yourself fully to the magic around you, learning its every nuance. I shall show you what this looks like, before I teach you how to do it for yourself."

Dumbledore closed his eyes momentarily, breathing in and out deeply, as a slightly bemused Harry looked on. When Dumbledore opened his eyes again, Harry had to stop himself blurting out an exclamation.

Dumbledore's eyes had changed completely. Gone were the whites of his eyes, as well as the pupils, leaving just the pale blue irises, expanded to fill the entirety of his eyes. He turned his head to look at Harry, then closed his eyes for a second, and when he opened them again, his eyes were back to normal.

"That was…" Harry started, unsure of how best to put voice to his thoughts.

"A little unnerving, I imagine." Dumbledore said, looking at Harry. Harry nodded mutely. "So, how to do it yourself?"

Dumbledore pushed his spectacles up his nose, leaning forward slightly.

"To enter the meditation state, you must reach out with your magic, as you would with your mind during Legilimency. It is best to think of it as if you are about to cast a spell, but without doing so. You must be completely undistracted and relaxed, or else you will not be able to reach out enough.

"Now, close your eyes. I shall guide you through the steps required."

-x-x-x-x-x-

Tonks rolled to the side as yet another curse exploded against the ground.

 _How are they doing that?_

She fired a Stunning Spell at the woman in front of her, but it simply fizzled against a shield before it came even close. Changing tactics, she fired a Piercing Charm, followed immediately by a Stunning Spell.

This time she was met with success. The Piercing Charm punched straight through the shield, leaving the woman completely defenceless against the Stunner immediately behind it. The woman was thrown across the lawn before landing on her back with a dull thud. Tonks ran over and bound the woman's ankles and wrists. Satisfied, she ran over to Kingsley, who was trading spells with two people at once.

"Kingsley!" she shouted over the sounds of combat. "Piercing Charms followed by Stunners to get through the shields!"

"Thanks!" Kingsley shouted back, before launching the combination himself. One of the men fell to his spell work while Tonks took care of the other.

"Good work, Tonks." Kingsley praised. "Restrain them and help us clear out the rest."

Tonks nodded, sending ropes from the end of her wand as Kingsley ran to support the rest of the Aurors. As she finished, she took a look at the palm of one of the mens' hands, interested in the tattoo she had seen earlier.

What she had originally assumed to be a tattoo was a perfect likeness of the Dark Mark. Tentatively, she brushed the pad of her finger over the Mark, hissing in pain as an unbearable heat shot through the Mark, burning her finger.

Standing again, she pushed this new information to the back of her mind, running back into the fray.

-x-x-x-x-x-

Kingsley wiped the sweat from his brow, getting to his feet. The attack had certainly taken his Aurors by surprise, but they had contained the situation expertly.

"Good work, everyone. Let's get these people back to the Ministry."

As the Aurors began preparing the prisoners for transport, Croaker sidled up to him.

"If I may, I would prefer they be sent to the Department of Mysteries."

"Why?" Kingsley asked.

"There was something... off about their magical auras. I'd like to investigate it."

"They are currently in the custody of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement." Kingsley said, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"They'll be returned," Croaker promised. "I just need to check a few things."

"Can't you do that here?"

Croaker shook his head.

"Not accurately."

Kingsley sighed.

"Fine. You'll have two days."

Croaker gave a small smile.

"Thank you, Auror Shacklebolt."

"You owe me one." He turned back to the Aurors.

"How's it coming?"

-x-x-x-x-x-

"I still think six tasks is too many." Fudge said, running a weary hand over his face. They had been discussing the tournament for the best part of five hours, and they had barely been able to decide on the number of tasks, let alone what they would be.

"Vot vould you suggest, Minister?" the Bulgarian Minister asked.

"In order to avoid cutting into the students' education too much, I would suggest a maximum of four tasks."

The French Minister opened his mouth to respond, but was interrupted by a knocking on the door. Fudge twisted around in his seat as an elderly man poked his head through the door.

"Excuse me, Minister?"

"What is it, I'm rather busy." Fudge snapped, his patience starting to wear thin.

"Could we talk outside?"

Fudge sighed.

"Fine." He turned to the assembled wizards. "Excuse me."

He pushed his chair back from the table and stood, straightening his robes. He strode out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

"What?"

The man seemed slightly apprehensive.

"We have a problem."


End file.
